


Waiting for Dawn

by D_N_Arielle



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Angst, Army Survivors, Blood, Character Death, Character Development, Gore, M/M, Misunderstandings, Other, SHEITH - Freeform, Stressful Situations, Violence, Zombie Galra, klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-25
Updated: 2017-03-29
Packaged: 2018-09-26 18:11:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9914894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/D_N_Arielle/pseuds/D_N_Arielle
Summary: It's one thing to survive the end of the world, it's another to live in it.Humankind had finally been swallowed by the vast darkness that spread like a plague across the earth's surface, spreading malice and hatred in its wake. The result was a catastrophe that the people were not prepared for in the least; fifteen years later they were still fighting to survive.Through the darkest nights a flicker of light danced through the air like a thought just out a reach; tenacity and an overwhelming drive for survival were the only hope for the survivors as they fought endlessly while waiting for dawn.





	1. Moonless Nights

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome friends!
> 
> I've been working on this little story for a while now and I thought I should start posting chapters? Probably a good idea.
> 
> As the tags suggest this story is full of gore, violence and descriptive situations so please read at your own discretion. I absolutely love comments and their thoughts but I don't appreciate being policed in my writing thank you very much. That being said I hope everyone enjoys my story!!!
> 
> If you want to follow me on Tumblr my username is dnarielle, same with my twitter. ARI LOVES TALKING TO NEW PEOPLE KTHX BYE.

It had been 15 years since one ordinary day turned into the end of the world. A biological weapon was released and spread across the earth like wild fire. Nations panicked, in the heat of the anger and fear, bombs dropped and citizens suffered. All regions capable of doing so simultaneously attacked with nuclear power. The result was catastrophic; a nuclear waste land that survivors estimated covered at least 90% of the planet. It appeared that humankind was doomed to die out, taking the rest of the world with them. But it was quickly apparent it wasn’t going to be the nuclear radiation that finished them off.

As the survivors tried to comprehend what had happened, the dead began to rise. Only, it wasn’t entirely accurate to refer to those ‘things’ in such a manner. The biological weapon that had been launched across the globe did not kill the human genome: it mutated it. Human bodies shut down as their entire genetic structure was rewritten. After 72 hours the creatures that were once human awakened; elongated limbs with dagger-like claws would drag along the ground as bloated bodies swayed with every movement. The sickly, purplish skin hung loosely on the bodies of the creatures as it sloughed off with even the lightest touch. None of those grotesque features even remotely compared to the horror of what was once a human face. It was as if the bones of the skull had over grown and could only jut from every direction, tearing weeping holes in the putrid flesh. Where the eyes and nose once sat were hollow and maggot ridden, same as the exposed decaying flesh of the creatures. No lips were present across wide gaping mouths that were capable of unhinging much like a demonic serpent. Rows upon rows of small thorny teeth could be seen extending down the mouths and into the backs of the creatures throats, never allowing their prey to escape once bitten.

The creatures called ‘Galra’ awoke with one sole yearning: to satisfy their hunger for human flesh. As the creatures would travel in packs they easily swarmed and out-numbered human survivors. Without an effective way of fighting back it seemed as though the Galra would be the true exterminators of the human race. 

Many of the human survivors fell victim to the hordes of Galra that tore through camps, devouring and destroying everything in their wake. Many camps attempted to secure themselves behind barriers as they attempted to fight the horrid creatures; however, the likelihood of survival was almost non-existent. I appeared that the human race was doomed to perish by the insatiable Galra when a group of survivors came across a fortified base. The city of Altea, once known to harbour the best and brightest of their time, once again appeared as a shining beacon in the darkness. A spark of hope flowed through the survivors that would prove crucial on the path towards salvation. 

A resistance army had been successfully established and deployed against the Galra in an attempt to secure the fortified base and the city that surrounded it. After three years of fighting only a fraction of the city could be walled off from Galra attack; attempts to secure additional fortifications on the perimeter of the city were unsuccessful. The long and arduous process was forever ongoing as daily attacks by the flesh eating Galra never gave up; only through the efforts of the resistance army could the survivors even hope to live through another day.

 

~

 

There was something inherently eerie about the way light tried to break through the thick black clouds that spread across the sky like a suffocating blanket. Even with the sun high in the sky there was no possibility that the warm beams could ever strike through the clouds. The affect left the world in a hazy fog as nuclear fallout continuously drifted down from those same, dark clouds like a mist that descends on a small, sleepy village. Wandering out into that mist as the sun struggled to tear through the clouds would only invite a painful death to whomever wished. 

With the setting sun the nuclear fallout would lessen, making nights the only time humans could emerge from the sanctuary of the secure fortified base. As no humans could walk freely during the day, the Galra were left to their own devices. Those that left the safety of the base first would have no information on the state of the outside world and just how many enemies would be encountered. 

The ruins of crumbling buildings sat silently underneath the moonless sky. Rubble from fallen debris had been hastily pushed out of the paths of routes leading throughout the city for vehicles to pass in a hurry. The front lines of the resistance were not simply responsible for engaging the shambling Galra; on the contrary, they had a more dangerous job. The routers were responsible for keeping roads clear of debris, as well as gathering information on the positions of hordes; they were the eyes, ears, and mouths that the safety of the survivors counted on. All routers had a sole mission statement; to make it feasible for the supply squadron to pass through without being hindered. Only squadrons following the information provided by the routers needed to be aware of which routes to take and if unlucky, to engage and destroy any Galra standing in the way.

“Dammit” A soft whisper floated through the silent air.

It wasn’t uncommon for routers to get a head start on gathering information. Those that embarked on missions every evening were also the first to be given inoculations. Amongst the technology discovered within the secure base were limited medical supplies and treatment instructions. It had become quite clear that if survival were to be achieved, more supplies would need to be procured. So many years of fighting but the resistance army could never secure the entire city, including the satellite storage facilities that sat on the outskirts. All of the materials, food, weapons, everything could only be found in these facilities. Every evening squadrons would be deployed for supply runs through the decrepit ruins of the old cityscape to procure only what was needed for the coming day. 

A soft sigh fell from the lips of the young man that stood on the roof of the base. The building itself was mostly underground and consisted of a vast complex that was not only self-sufficient but shielded from radiation. Only a few stories had been built up on the surface, which were securely surrounded by a fortified wall. The above ground building and wall were only accessible by the resistance, apparently in an attempt to protect civilian survivors. The routers were all preparing to embark on their mission as the young man standing on the roof sighed once more. 

“Lieutenant? Lieutenant!” A husky boy yelled just above a whisper for the officer. 

The lieutenant stood peering down at his squadron with his arms crossed and brow furrowed. He didn’t feel much like answering the boy that was now obviously panicking trying to find him. As he continued to watch their busy work the young man took another look at the routes before him: tonight was going to be difficult.

“Lieutenant!?” The boy was so worked up be had started yelling before another soldier slapped him hard across the face. That seemed to calm the boy down if only for a moment.

“Seriously… Shut up.” The soldier spat and walked away to finish his work.

The lieutenant observed the entire scene on high but felt completely removed from everything. He raised a hand up to his head and gently pulled it through his short brown hair. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply; it was finally time to start.

At the ground level of the base was the equipment storage for the routers. Old vehicles had been adapted to run on internalized mechanisms that didn’t require the need for fossilized fuels, but the raw materials needed to propel the vehicles also needed to be retrieved on the supply run. Most of the routers had finished preparing for the night’s activities, with only a few exceptions.

“There is no way I am riding with him!” A stout man with greying hair was raising his voice just above the usual whisper as things were getting heated with the rest of the squadron.

“You know we don’t have a choice! He’s the best there is, and besides…” Another soldier had stepped in to quell rising tempers. “It’s not like he’s going to be around for long.”

“Is there a party going on that I wasn’t invited to? No? Then let’s head out.” The young man had reached the landing only to find his squadron huddled in a circle whispering to themselves. He already knew what they were talking about and he couldn’t have cared less.

The routers disassembled as if they had just been set on fire, and no one dared to look their lieutenant in the eye. Instead, vehicles were loaded up as they all waited for embarkment orders. They watched in silence as the young man walked past the head vehicle and instead motioned to one of the riders to get off his bike and switch positions. The lieutenant got on the bike, adjusted a few things and turned to the rest of his squad to give out orders. 

“Alpha and Bravo teams I need you to take point today. We are going to clear route 124, 176, and 183.” There was pause as the lieutenant adjusted himself on the back on the bike. “And we’ll be securing route 408 today.”

There was a collective gasp from the members of the squadron as they looked at their lieutenant with a mix of fear and anger. No one could believe he would have the nerve to try to clear routes in the 400’s.

“Sir… um, If you don’t mind me saying…” The soldier whom had broken up flaring tempers early decided to speak up. “That entire area is over-ridden with Galra, not to mention it’s significantly out of the way for a supply run. I heard the other squadrons talking about how the satellite facility in the 400 route had been destroyed so what’s the point?!”

The lieutenant merely stood quietly as he listened to the pleas of one of his soldiers; however, he knew this was coming and did not register a word that was being said.

“I have my reasons.” The lieutenant stated coldly as he started up his bike, preparing to move out whether his squadron followed him or not.

“How much longer do you think you can keep this up?!” The boy that had been searching for the lieutenant early hadn’t returned to the base. He wasn’t an active member but one that had been sent to deal with the lieutenant. “If you go on a route that you weren’t assigned I’ll have no choice but to inform the commander!”

“Knock yourself out.” With that the young lieutenant started off through the slowly opening gate and towards the city before him. He didn’t even bother looking back when the boy yelled after him once more.

“I’m serious! If you do it I’ll tell him!” The boy tried running but tripped in the process. “Don’t do it! Don’t go!!! Lance!”

The cries of the boy fell on deaf ears as the routers of the 1st platoon, along with first-class Lieutenant Lance McClain, started their mission for the evening. No one could even offer a guess if they would be able to survive the night.

 

~

 

The once tall buildings crumbled under their own weight and lack of maintenance as the years went by. Silent shops with faded writing could still be seen if one stopped long enough to look but no matter how curious anyone could have been, the will to survive was so much stronger. Lance slowed his bike as he inspected a little café tucked in between two office buildings. He could have imagined what it was like to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee while studying for class, or taking a break from work; something he would have done if the world hadn’t ended. Lance turned away from the sad little reminder than life wasn’t fair before steeling himself for the night of work ahead.

The resistance had two very different ways of interacting with the city beyond the walls of the fortification. The routers were always the first to leave to gather information and clear roads for the supply squadrons. They categorized the city in terms of ‘routes’ or more specifically, the easiest way to get to the satellite facilities and back without dying. There were several different routes for each facility; some longer but safer, others shorter and faster but with higher risk of attack. It was the job of the routers to determine what to clear, what to abandon and more than anything, when to run like hell. 

The other faction of the resistance were the soldiers tasked with confronting and killing the Galra. It seemed as though the sole purpose of the fighters was to take back the city from the Galra, no matter the cost of lives. Time and time again missions were conducted with new battle plans that were sure to work this time, only to be devastatingly overwhelmed. Missions had been put on hold until concrete evidence of an actual working plan could be produced, something that hadn’t come about within the last year. The fighters worked on supply runs to take down any encountered Galra, but tensions were always high with that overwhelming need to destroy the enemy.

“Sir… We’re here.” One of the routers called out to Lance who was idling on his bike, looking off in the distance. He waved a hand to signal operation commencement as his platoon disembarked to clear the first route they had been assigned.

Lance stood on the periphery keeping an eye on his team but mostly focusing on the state of the buildings surrounding them. Four other sentries were evenly spaced out as they surveyed the surroundings for any potential Galra. The first route wasn’t too bad in terms of needing clearage so Lance left work to the platoon as he started off down a side-street. No one bothered to yell after their lieutenant; his wandering was a regular occurrence and none of them could have been bothered to try to argue with him. The only thing they could do was to finish the work quickly and move onto the next route.

Passageways twisted and turned like a maze of concrete and darkness as Lance quietly glided along the familiar crevices. The 1st platoon was often in charge of clearing routes in the 100s so Lance had a layout of the area memorized. There was a particularly sturdy pile of rubble close to the current route being clear so he decided to do some reconnaissance work. As he climbed through the narrow alleys Lance was hyper aware of any and all sounds around him. The small tumbling of stones as he disturbed them from their resting place; the whooshing of wind as currents cut through gaps in the fallen debris; Lance was attune to it all. 

A large building had collapsed and ended up blocking the opening between two neighbouring structures. On the other side of the rubble was a vast open space that was once an open marketplace or forum to Lance’s best estimate. It was the perfect place to get a feel for this section of the city; specifically the areas that routes in the 100s, 200s, and 300s belonged to. The routes were all categorized by their end destination being one of the satellite storage facilities, but depending on only a handful of routes for too long would push the survivors luck over the edge.

Lance had climbed to the top of the rubble but the smell had reached him long before he saw anything. The putrid decay of flesh was an all too familiar scent to the nose of a veteran soldier; as was the sight of true monsters. Lance looked down across the open forum and clenched his teeth as the feeling of rage and fear coursed through his veins. One of the largest hordes in the city had migrated so close to the important routes as thousands of Galra ambled around like sick, mechanized monsters. Lance swallowed past the feelings bubbling up inside of him as he put his mind to work. The horde was too close for his comfort but more importantly if it had migrated this far than there was a possibility that the routes in the 400s were finally clear.

A thought came to Lance as he imagined finally being able to reach the facility in the 400s; the facility code-named water. There was no use waiting around watching the Galra horde when it was finally time to strike. Lance was determined to get to that facility this time and there wasn’t a soul around that could stop him.

 

~

 

By the time Lance found his way back to his platoon they were already working on the final route, not a lot needed to be cleared so the soldiers made short work of any obstructions. No one said anything as Lance approached the group; a few of them glanced over at their lieutenant as he picked up the bike and appeared to be heading off somewhere.

“Where are you going lieutenant?” The soldier from early had walked up to Lance and was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

“Don’t worry about it.” Lance looked away from the soldier as he mounted his bike. “Just finish up here and head back to base.”

“No,” The soldier grabbed Lance by the shoulder and looked him in the eye. “I’m coming with you.”

Lance wanted to argue, to tell him to back off and just follow orders but honestly he didn’t have the strength to do so. Lance just sighed and waited patiently as the soldier and two others prepared a vehicle to follow Lance into the 400s.

“I’m not responsible for your safety understand?” Lance started up the bike as he addressed his people. “Follow my lead and try not to die.”

The trek to the 400 routes wasn’t an easy one as Lance directed the small group around obstacles and Galra alike. No matter who had a problem with the lieutenant of the 1st platoon there was one thing that everyone agreed on; Lance was seemingly clairvoyant when it came to city navigation. As if the routes themselves were written into his own DNA, Lance could predict trouble areas as if he were simply breathing. It was also most likely the only reason that he was still allowed to be in charge of a platoon even after everything that had happened. 

The approach to route 408 was deathly quiet as Lance disembarked from his bike. A significant amount of fallen debris littered the route from buildings on either side of the street. Lance wanted nothing more than to start clearing the path as soon as possible; as if some existential force was pushing him to do so. Instead, he stood still in the chill of the night, took a deep breath, and focused. Recon was the first thing that he needed to do at this point, before anything else. Lance started forward at the puzzlement of the other three who just looked on; the pile of rubble seemed stable as Lance began to climb, being careful not to disturb the rocks any more than necessary. 

The pile wasn’t as large as Lance had first anticipated, a good sign that clearing it might be easier than he had thought. At the top of the pile a section was leveled off to some degree so Lance headed over to observe his surroundings from the stable looking plateau. The light breeze than had been gently pushing against his back suddenly shifted and a wall of fear hit Lance like a truck. The smell of decaying flesh and putrid rot was all too familiar as the lieutenant swung around frantically looking for the source. The scent seemed to come from nowhere but at the same time it appeared to surround him completely. He felt as if he would choke on the scent but beneath the feeling of pure terror was a flame that Lance stoked constantly. The flame of rage burned pure and unadulterated as he concentrated on his mission to gather as much information as possible. Lance looked out across the other side of the pile of rubble and could see it, the lone satellite facility stood untouched and whole as if it were the last salvation surrounded by devastation. The symbol of water painted brightly on the front of the building shone brightly in the grey covered world as a beckon of hope. Lance felt a wave of relief as he finally felt justification; the water facility had survived, there was still a chance.

“LIEUTENANT!!!” Lance swung around at the screams of his soldiers just as Galra emerged from the shadows to attack.

The Galra had been caught in a wind vortex caused by the rubble pile that kept the putrid smell concentrated in one place, and failed to warn the small group of their presence. As the wind shifted the scent was released but at that point it was too late. Lance charged forward not caring about the tumbling of rocks as he swung his rifle off his shoulder and aimed at the first Galra. He shot with precision and accuracy that would have made any sharp shooter jealous. The first Galra took the shot in the side of the head causing rotting flesh to fly in all directions as it exploded like a grenade of flesh and bone. Lance didn’t waste any time aiming for the second Galra before firing and catching it across one of its spindly legs; toppling the monster into the dirt with a sickening splat.

Two of the soldiers had made it back to the vehicle as Lance landed at the bottom of the rubble pile and took off like a bullet. His breathing heavy as sweat threatened to obstruct his field of view; he concentrated on reaching his bike with an overwhelming amount of focus and determination. A shadow moved, just slightly, out of the corner of his eye but lance already knew what it was. He watched in slow motion as the jaws of a single Galra stretched open like a portal to hell as dagger-like claws pierced the body of the soldier that had stood frozen in place, too afraid to run let alone fight. Lance sprinted towards the attack as his lungs burned and his legs cramped, he aimed the rifle at the Galra as it prepared to devour the human in its grasp. As if time itself slowed to a crawl, Lance could see the look of terror on his soldier’s face, and the piercing daggers puncturing several of his major organs; including his heart. In that moment Lance made a decision as his eyes met those of his soldier. He would never forget the look of pure, raw terror on the face of a human as he aimed the rifle between those eyes and fired. The soldier crumbled in the embrace of the Galra a mere fraction of a second before that gaping mouth struck like a shark out of water. Jagged teeth tore at flesh and crunched through bone as if they were nothing. The creature continued to devour as Lance ran forward to his screaming comrades, the scent of putrid, decaying flesh now mixed with the spill of fresh blood. In that final moment Lance did something he threatened his soldiers against doing time and time again, he turned around and took down the monster just as it had finished its meal. The body of the Galra fell to the ground as its innards burst open from the force, the soldiers remains spilling out in half pulverized chunks. There was nothing more Lance could do as he picked up the bike and took off after the two remaining soldiers, fearing that their commotion had attracted a nearby horde. The flame of rage burned brighter and brighter within Lance who wrapped it around him like a comforting blanket; it was the only way he could move forward in such an unfair world.

 

\---


	2. The Blue Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah another one?!?! Thought I'd give a little bit more context to the story!
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!!!

There was always something off-putting about the stark white walls and immaculate furniture that could be found within the survivor’s base. The sub-terrain facilities were even more impressive than the soldier’s area with everything one would need to live in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Lance couldn’t help but let his eyes wander across the bare white walls of the office space he was standing in. No one would have guessed that anyone had occupied the space by observing the Spartan layout void of any sense of self. Lance carefully scanned the desk and chairs in front of him, a lonely standing lamp in the corner, and the man currently sitting behind the desk in absolute silence. 

Lance’s gaze stopped on the man’s figure as he was concentrating on the papers in front of him. The man had a muscular build which could be seen even from his sitting position; the uniform he wore stretched tight across his broad shoulders as it visibly strained with the man’s shifting movement. As the man shuffled the papers on his desk Lance continued to observe him. He had short black hair with a streak of white down the front. Lance wondered if an old scar caused the discolouration or if it had always been that colour as he continued to glance over his face. The man sitting at the desk could only be described as ruggedly handsome; his features were both masculine and delicate in a way that was only enhanced by his dark-grey eyes. If there was only one flaw it would be the scar that cut deep across the bridge of his nose, but even Lance thought it added to the man’s character. Lance couldn’t help but frown at his own observations; he really needed to get some sleep.

“I don’t even know what to say to you anymore since nothing seems to ever get through to you.” The man at the desk finally spoke as he looked up from his papers and locked eyes with Lance. “Is there anything you want to say?”

“No, can I get back to work now?” Lance coldly answered as he started to turn for the door.

Lance heard the chair fall backwards onto the ground but before he had a chance to turn around and see what had happened the man had leapt over the desk and shoved Lance so hard against the wall he was almost seeing stars. Strong arms pinned the smaller young man against the wall as Lance was unable to push back. The man that held him drew ragged breaths as his entire body radiated with anger.

“Who the FUCK do you think you are?!” The man hadn’t raised his voice in the slightest but the cold, calculated words sent shivers down Lance’s spine. 

“No one, Sir.” Lance had composed himself enough to answer just as coldly.

The man looked down at Lance pinned up against the wall as he slowly raised one hand upwards. He saw the young man brace to be hit but that would have been the easy way out. Lance was integral to operations but his behaviour was getting good soldiers killed and it seemed that nothing was getting through to him. The raised hand suddenly grabbed Lance’s jaw, hard, as he forced the young man to look up at him and take the full brunt of his words.

“Last night you went on an unapproved mission to the 400s and got a member of your platoon killed. How many more soldiers are you going to let follow you to their deaths?” The man had leaned in and was whispering his sharp words to Lance from an impossibly close distance. 

“They didn’t have to follow me; I would have just gone alone.” Lance tried to look away but the hand clamped onto his face wouldn’t let him budge. 

“Is that all you want to say?” The man was trying so hard not to shake sense into his Lieutenant. “I suppose if I had just let you go out there alone all this time you wouldn’t have lost a dozen soldiers, including your best friend, to a Galra horde in the 400s three months ago?!”

Lance felt as if he had been shocked as his mind reeled at the words the man had spoken. He felt the bubbling rage build up deep within him as it threatened to overflow. He wanted nothing more than to scream scathing words to the man in front of him; to punch, kick, bite, do anything than be kept in place unable to avoid the words he so desperately wanted to run from.

“You were ordered not to venture into the 400s, not then, not now.” All heat in the man’s words was gone as he stared straight into Lance’s eyes. “Hunk died because of you.”

Lance tried to pull away from the man’s grip but no matter how hard he pulled he couldn’t break free. As he continued to struggle he felt the sting of tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Lance didn’t want to cry, especially when only the truth had been spoken. He bit his bottom lip as he gazed up at the man still pinning him to the wall of his office before finally being able to speak through the lump in his throat.

“How does it feel being the sole survivor of camp Arus?” Lance spit the words like venom from a snake. “The deaths of thousand must weigh down on your perfect shoulders.”

One second Lance had the cool, white wall at his back and the next he was on the ground with the sharp, familiar sting of being hit pulsating across his cheek and mouth. He looked up from his place on the floor towards the man that had just put him there. Without being asked Lance got up off the ground rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand; he stood at attention before his Commander.

“If that’s all Sir, I have work to do.” Lance fixed his gaze past his Commander as he repeated what he had said early. “May I be excused, Shiro?”

The Commander of the resistance and the person in charge of the survival of the last stronghold of humankind could only nod towards the Lieutenant standing in front of him. Lance gave a quick salute before turning and heading through the door. Shiro released a breath he hadn’t known he was holding as soon as the door closed behind Lance. He was shocked but not entirely surprised at Lance’s words; after all he had started it so what did he expect?

“That kid is going to get killed.” Shiro sighed and shook his head, speaking to no one in particular. 

He began to draw his right hand through his hair as a gesture of comfort before he caught himself and stopped. Five years ago, at the battle of Arus, he had not only lost his comrades but also his arm. He had no clue what happened between the fall of Arus and awakening within the survivors base with unknown tech attached to his body. At first he had tried to destroy the arm but the words of one of his dearest friends swayed him from destroying the blight. He would always thank his friend for saving him from destruction, even if he didn’t say it in so many words. 

He was tasked with protecting one of the resistance’s most valuable assets; a young girl by the name of Pidge. However, what Shiro failed to take into account was how much he grew to care for the child as if they were siblings. He trusted Pidge’s wisdom and knowledge, often forgetting that she was simply a 16 year old girl. None of that mattered to Shiro as he vowed to always protect her until his last breath.

Shiro sighed once more as he was finally calm. He would have to speak with Lance again, or at least threaten to take him off active missions. Shiro wanted to keep Lance in the field, he was a significant asset to the routing platoon and he just couldn’t afford to pull him out. The Commander of the resistance picked his chair up from the floor and sat down so that he could get back to work. He had more than enough to worry about without ruminating on the suicidal mission tendencies of one of his best soldiers. Shiro sighed once more and promised himself that he would visit Pidge in the lab for a cup of tea and a long over-due break to put his thoughts into order. He couldn’t help but smile to himself slightly; Pidge would know what to do.

 

~

 

“I have no clue what to do” Pidge worked away at a strange collection of parts as she spoke to Lance sitting on a bench watching her work.

There were few places on the base that Lance felt more comfortable than in Pidge’s lab. He settled into the rough bench covered with tools and spare parts as he gazed around the room for the millionth time. No matter how many times he stepped foot in the lab, he was always truly amazed at how horribly messy everything was. Stacks upon stacks of boxes lined the walls filled to the brim with parts. Every single work space, bench, table, stool, everything was covered in ongoing projects. Lance was always fascinated with what Pidge was working on but he knew better than to ask for fear of getting stuck in a four hour lecture with no chance of escape. He turned to watch the young lady in question work away at her primary table; goggles down as she focused on the minute details of the inner mechanism of some sort of strange gadget. Lance couldn’t help but furrow his brow and let spill the question that sat on the tip of his tongue.

“Looks like a toaster.” Lance immediately regretted his statement as he watched Pidge slowly look up from her work to stare at him through her goggles; the magnification making her eyes seem hilariously huge.

“It is a toaster?” Pidge cocked her head to one side as she made her answer sound like a question. She hadn’t really thought that Lance would say anything and she failed to prepare an appropriate response.

Lance burst out laughing at her reaction as he hunched over and held his stomach. Tears fell from his eyes as he continued to roar at the absurdity of the situation. Pidge waited patiently as she let Lance finish, fully aware of what was really going on. After a few minutes Lance had quieted down and Pidge could continue with their conversation from before.

“You know.” Pidge started, ignoring Lance’s previous outburst. “Shiro is worried about you; he just sucks at showing it.”

“Uhuh.” Lance brought one leg up underneath him to rest his arm and chin on, essentially hiding his mouth completely.

“He only hit you because…” Pidge trailed off as she became distracted with a particularly intricate part of her work.

“Hmm…” Lance made a noise as he really did want to hear the rest of what she was about to say.

“He…” Pidge continued to fiddle before finally being able to connect the pieces successfully. “Shiro hit you because you’re an idiot and you deserved it.”

Lance cast his eyes down to the machine ridden floor as he rolled the words Pidge spoke around in his head. She was completely right of course; Lance was an idiot. He closed his eyes as he tried to think about something, anything that could somehow help him rectify this whole situation but his mind only drew a blank. He was just about to open his mouth to thank Pidge for the advice and leave, but she had other plans in mind.

“You and Hunk grew up in the same orphanage right? You’ve known each other your entire lives and to do something so incredibly reckless…” Pidge had stopped working as she struggled to get the right words across, tears beginning to well in her eyes. “He was my friend too you know.”

Lance didn’t dare take his eyes off the girl in front of him as she began to cry. He watched her wipe away the tears steadily streaming down her face and was still at a complete loss for words. He knew, and had known for a while, that he had completely messed up. Lance stood from his spot on the bench and slowly walked over to Pidge. He kneeled down in front of her stool and looked up at the crying girl.

“Pidge I’m so sorry…” A lump formed in Lance’s throat as he tried to get the words out. “I messed up, I keep messing up. That day, Hunk saved me and all I could do was run like a coward. I don’t want to run anymore Pidge.”

Lance cast his eyes downwards as he went to stand up and leave. Before he had a chance to take even one step forward he felt warm fingers grab his hand tightly and squeeze. Pidge had gotten up from her stool and stopped Lance from leaving as she tried to form her thoughts into coherent words. She took a deep breath and stepped back from Lance who had decided to face her head on.

“I don’t want your apology, I want you to live.” Pidge began quietly before steadying herself to continue. “If you really, truly regret what happened then fight to survive; Hunk would want that from you.”

“I know…” Lance whispered in response.

“Also…” Pidge turned back to her stool to sit down and get back to work. “Don’t be surprised if Shiro benches you for a while. You need to cool your head after what happened today.”

“Wha-?!?!” Lance tried to interrupt but what cut off.

“No use complaining to me I don’t make the rules here! You stupidly went gallivanting off into the 400s again and got one of your soldiers killed.” Pidge was relentless in her words but Lance listened to every single one. “What on earth possessed you to do such a thing? Were you looking for Hunk’s body? You should know better that there wouldn’t be anything lef-”

“It wasn’t that!” It was Lance’s turn to cut Pidge off as he shouted his response. Pidge looked up from her work in surprise from the sudden outburst.

“It wasn’t?” She asked carefully.

“I…” Lance hesitated before taking a deep breath and trying to explain. “Something has been bothering me about the satellite facility in the 400s for a while; I needed to see it for myself after reading the report from the supply platoon. I saw it Pidge, I really saw it today! It hadn’t been destroyed; in fact it looks almost completely untouched! If only we can get a team together to take back one of the routes in the 400s then maybe we can-”

“We can what? Why do you care so much about that particular facility?! You have three others you need to protect! What happens if those routes are overrun while you go rushing off after a lost cause?” Pidge was yelling furiously at Lance but she felt like no matter how much she tried nothing would wake him out of this delusion.

“Pidge I… I don’t know why I need to go there but please believe me. You’re the only one left that I have to believe me.” Lance felt as if he couldn’t even begin to explain the complexities of why he wanted, no, needed to get to that facility. All he could do was hang his head and hope his words were understood.

The lab was filled with silence as both Lance and Pidge tried to sort out their thoughts. Pidge was a scientist, just like her father, and rarely accepted anything not based on facts and strict methodology. She knew that Lance wouldn’t do stupidly dangerous things unless he had a good reason, but she just couldn’t take his gut feelings as reason enough. Pidge looked at Lance as he stood before her. He obviously hadn’t been sleeping well and it looked like he had lost weight; she was truly worried he wouldn’t last at this rate. She sighed and closed her eyes before doing something she had never done before.

“I believe you.” Pidge whispered the words into the quiet room. “Even though you have no proof, I will believe you. Let me see what I can dig up on the facility and I’ll get back to you.”

Lance couldn’t believe what he had just witnessed. The forever scientific teenage genius actually believed Lance’s gut feelings. A smile spread across his face that actually make his cheeks hurt. He couldn’t remember the last time he smiled so genuinely but he chose to just revel in the feeling.

“Thank you Pidge.” Lance could just run over and hug her tightly but he didn’t want to get hit in the face with a wrench.

“Don’t thank me yet I haven’t found anything.” She went back to her work signaling to Lance that it was time to leave. “By the way, which facility was it again?”

Lance had started towards the door before he turned around to address Pidge’s question, the ghost of his smile still pulling at the edges of his mouth.

“The satellite facility in the 400s is the water facility.” Lance opened the door before he finished answering Pidge’s question. “The blue water facility.”

 

~ 

 

No matter how much Lance tried to control that part of his life, he would always need to eat. The supply missions finished successfully and the mess hall was packed with soldiers casually chatting after a long day, or night, of hard work. Lance couldn’t help but sigh and straighten his back as he made his way through the long tables looking for a spot to sit down. As he passed table after table voices whispered and eyes stared but it wasn’t anything new to Lance; he had a reputation on the base after all. Through the hushed buzz that flowed around him like water Lance could also distinctly here the nickname he had been so aptly given: TK. There was no point in him trying to fight it considering it was true; he was a team killer.

Lance finally found an empty spot at the end of one of the tables near the side door of the mess hall. He caught the eyes of the other soldiers sitting at the table and as if they had been coordinating a dance routine, all six soldiers stood up in unison and vacated the table. Lance knew he should have been offended, but instead he was happy to have the table all to himself. He took a seat and stared at the rations sitting in blobby piles on his tray; he felt a pang of sadness at the memory of Hunk always trying to convince him that maybe today’s meal would finally taste like food. No matter how hard Lance tried he just couldn’t make himself eat with the taste of bitter regret spread across his tongue.

“Unless you’ve developed psychic powers your food is going nowhere.” Lance looked up to see Shiro taking a seat across from him. Their eyes met and after a few seconds Lance finally answered his Commander.

“Go ahead, have a seat.” Lance stated drily before turning back to his food.

“Considering the circumstances I understand that was the best you could come up with but maybe try harder next time.” Shiro started into his meal as he continued to regard the boy sitting across from him. He frowned slightly at the sight of Lance now passing his fork through his food, not one bit actually making it to his mouth.

“Shiro I’m-” Lance spoke just above a whisper, his voice quivering just before he was abruptly cut off.

“Don’t, don’t apologize.” Shiro answered quickly, he didn’t want to hear an apology. “Let’s just leave it okay? Eat please.”

The two of them sat in silence that was almost physically painful. The tables around them had quickly vacated as soon as Shiro sat down; no one cared to overhear their conversation, or bear the wrath of their Commander. Lance had begun to eat since Shiro wouldn’t leave him alone until he finished. The food felt like gelatinous sand as it roughly slid down his throat, threatening to choke him to death. The thought made him audibly snort which caused Shiro to jump slightly, a worried look spreading across his face.

“I’ve been benched haven’t I?” Lance was the first to break the silence as he put down his fork and looked at Shiro.

“Yes…” Shiro didn’t quite know how to answer; he wasn’t expecting Lance to be so cooperative.

“I figured.” Lance went back to eating, trying desperately to finish his meal as fast as possible so he could leave. 

“How did you?” Shiro was still wondering what on earth was going on until it hit him. “You talked to Pidge didn’t you?”

“Uhuh.” Lance answered with a mouth full of food.

Shiro watched as Lance finished the rest of his meal. He wished there was some way to continue a desperately needed conversation with him but he couldn’t think of anything to say that would make the young man stay and listen. Shiro sighed and decided to leave it alone for the time being, he was already grateful that Pidge had talked some sense into Lance that he didn’t want to push anything. Shiro really needed to sit down with that girl and figure out what his next move was going to be.

“Shiro?” Lance was standing by the table holding his empty tray as he gave his Commander an inquisitive look. Shiro was confused with what Lance wanted and it showed on his face. “Um… Can I be dismissed?”

“Uh, Ah, Yeah. I mean yes!” Shiro was caught off guard by Lance’s sincere request, his behaviour appeared suspicious in the same way a toddler might be well-behaved when they wanted something. “Lance, um… Is everything alright?”

Shiro felt stupid asking such a question and he instantly regretted letting the words fall out of his mouth. He just watched as Lance slowly turned around and smiled slightly before giving a nod and finally taking his leave. Shiro was left alone to wonder what the hell had gotten into his officer and just knew he had to make a stop into Pidge’s lab before heading off to his next meeting. Shiro was always confident that no matter what, Pidge would know what to do.

 

\---


	3. Shadow Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I have been slowly but surely writing chapters so here is another one! Feel free to read it (or don't), whichever you prefer...

The start of each new day signaled the end of work for on-duty soldiers; the platoons were scheduled on rotational leave not any different from standard shift work. Those that would be needed out in the field would be required to work through the evening, and those on leave were allowed to travel to the subterranean residential portion of the fortified base. In many instances the resistance army was made up of volunteers; people that wished to keep their families safe. It was highly encouraged that all able bodied individuals would go through basic training and be tested in an attempt to determine if they were field capable. Although many soldiers would be deemed unfit for field work, the work of stationary soldiers was important in order for base functions to run smoothly. Food and raw materials were gathered by supply platoons where food preparation, item maintenance, and any other daily task required was then divided among the people in residence. The symbiotic coexistence continued to work only with the cooperation of everyone but the precarious balance always threatened to break under even the slightest shift in situations. 

A number of soldiers didn’t have family to return to during leave in residence, but most still opted for the change in scenery. However, there were a select few that permanently stayed in soldiers’ quarters, having no desire to venture too far from the surface world. Katie Holt, who went by her call-sign Pidge, had absolutely no desire to venture into the residential quarters of the base; she barely wanted to leave her own lab for that matter. Nothing would have made Pidge happier than to be left alone with her research somewhere quiet where no one would be able to bother her. Unfortunately, things didn’t always go according to plan.

“Doctor I have the reports for sections D32 and B47.” A short balding man burst into Pidge’s lab without knocking first; this wasn’t a new occurrence but Pidge was seriously considering permanently welding the door shut.

“How many times do I have to tell all of you I’m not a doctor.” Pidge sighed loudly as she went back to her work, desperately hoping that the annoyance in the room would just leave the stack of papers and go.

“Doctor, um, I mean Ma’am you are highly qualified and already the head of the scientific section so… um…” The man fumbled over his words as he tried to address Pidge. He might have been new to working in the science section but Pidge really had no idea since she didn’t really care to remember the names and faces of people. 

“Whatever, just give me a summary of the report.” There were so many other things for Pidge to be working on she really didn’t want to bother reading some long winded, boring report.

“Yes Ma’am. The ventilation system seemed to have been blocked in D32 but was successfully fixed by maintenance teams three and seven. It appears that a section of the system wasn’t built properly and a key connection was damaged.” The man rambled on for a while but Pidge really had no interest in the nuances of ventilation repair. “… In conclusion four of the maintenance teams have conducted a thorough study of the entire base for faulty ventilation functions which are laid out in this report.”

“Uhuh.” Pidge nodded for the tenth time in the last half an hour before realizing that her subordinate had stopped talking. “Oh, yes, leave this report with me and I’ll take a look.”

Pidge waved in the man’s direction as a form of dismissal; she really wanted to get back to work and would attempt to read the report later, although she knew full well she’d most likely forget. Pidge sighed in her now empty lab as she stretched her arms above her head and settled herself back at her work table. It wasn’t anything new for the young woman to be constantly swamped with work but she really needed to delegate some of the more tedious jobs. Pidge closed her eyes for a moment and imagined a situation where she could work and not be interrupted on a regular basis.

A light knock at the lab door brought Pidge back to reality as she couldn’t help but chuckle at her situation. For a brief moment Pidge imagined pretending she wasn’t around but she knew that her work load would only get worse if she didn’t deal with everything in a timely fashion. On the other hand, she was never one to care much for being organized with her projects so Pidge simply went back to working happily at her desk.

A few minutes of silence went by but Pidge was convinced there was still someone on the other side of her lab door. She couldn’t figure out who needed her attention so badly but without seemingly being in a hurry. There was no way Pidge could concentrate on her work which was already suffering from her lapses in focus; releasing another long sigh, Pidge raised her head towards the door.

“Can I help you?” Pidge wasn’t exactly pleased by the bother and couldn’t keep the sharpness out of her voice.

“Sorry Pidge… Are you very busy?” Shiro answered from the other side of the door. 

“Oh! Shiro!” Pidge jumped up out of her chair and ran to the door, nearly tripping over the clutter scattered across the floor. She reached out and opened the door as she tried to catch her breath. “Come in come in!”

Shiro stood in the hallway holding a tray in both hands as he smiled at Pidge’s invitation and entered the lab. The pair wandered over to a corner of the lab Pidge only used whenever Shiro came to visit. Pidge went to go fill the kettle for tea while Shiro placed the tray on a small table as he took a seat on the floor. He had long since given up offering to help Pidge make the tea since she was always so adamant on doing it herself; so instead he would simply sit at the table and watch over her.

“What are we having today?” Shiro crossed his arms and leaned into the table, a smile playing across his lips.

“Today is a cinnamon chai that I have been looking forward to trying!” Pidge announced excitedly as she brought a floral tea set over to the table and sat down across from Shiro.

“Shall I pour?” Shiro offered but Pidge shook her head and carefully picked up the teapot. She poured out enough for the two of them, replaced the teapot on the tray and handed the cup and saucer over towards Shiro.

“What did you bring me?” Pidge eyed the tray on the table and turned back to Shiro. 

“I guessed you hadn’t eaten yet today.” Shiro casually waved towards the tray as he picked up his teacup and gently blew across the surface before taking a small sip.

“How is it?” Leaning forward with eyes wide, Pidge inquired curiously into the state of the tea.

“What sort of tea was it today? Cinnamon chai?” Shiro had scrunched up his nose as he held the cup in front of his face. “Well you got the spice right…”

“Damn, is it really that bad?” Pidge picked up her own cup and took a sip only to quickly place it back on the saucer and fall into a fit of coughing. “Woah Shiro it’s awful! Don’t drink that!”

“It’s not that bad…” Shiro continued to sip from the cup as Pidge looked on in horror.

“You always do that.” Pidge began to pout as Shiro took another sip of his tea. She tried so hard to find a way to make a decent pot of tea but no matter how hard she tried it just wouldn’t come out right. However, no matter how bad the tea turned out, Shiro always finished it. Pidge was frustrated that trying to make tea caused her so much trouble when everything else came to her so easily, but even more so she wished Shiro would be more honest with her.

Shiro finished his tea and replaced the cup on its saucer before picking up the teapot and pouring himself some more. He knew that Pidge was sulking over her tea and Shiro always enjoyed teasing her about it. There had to be something the sixteen year old genius wasn’t immediately good at.

Shiro looked up at Pidge as she reached over to partake in the food tray, already over her tea mishap. Her short light brown hair was as messy as ever as it fanned out from every direction. Large round glasses covered most of her delicate face and truly over shadowed her large brown eyes, but they not only worked perfectly with her appearance but also her personality. A dull ache seemed to radius from his chest as he realized how much more mature Pidge had grown without him noticing.

“What?” Pidge had noticed Shiro staring as she ate a piece of bread. She furrowed her brow and munched away waiting for a response from the boy across from her.

“Nothing.” Shiro continued to drink his tea as he tried to stifle the smile that spread across his face.

“Whatttttttt?” Pidge whined in response at Shiro’s difficult behaviour as she let out a loud and exaggerated sigh. “You always do this Shiro! I know you’re doing it on purpose! Is there something weird on my face again?!”

“I can’t help it Pidge since you’re my little sister.” Shiro laughed as he reached over the table and mussed up Pidge’s hair, much to the vexation of the young lady.

“Shiro stop it takes so long to get my hair to stay put!” Pidge pulled away and began flatting her hair with excessive force. She paused for a moment, hands still on her head, as she looked over at Shiro. “I’m not really your sister Shiro; you don’t have to worry about me.”

The dull ache turned to a sharp pain in Shiro’s throat as he smiled sadly at the girl sitting across from him. She might have been growing up but Shiro forgot that she truly was still a child; one that had to take on the responsibilities of an adult at too young of an age.

“You know that’s not true Pidge; I very much respected your father even from a young age and I promised him…” Shiro swallowed past the lump in his throat before he could continue “I promised your father that I would take care of you, no matter what.”

Near silence filled the room as small fans whirled continuously to cool various mechanisms around the lab, seemingly unbothered by fallen silence of the tea party. Pidge hadn’t meant to make Shiro say those things and she now regretted even opening her mouth in the first place. Pidge hung her head as she tried to think of something to say. 

“I never got to meet neither my father, nor my mother… and after what happened five years ago to….” Pidge spoke softly to Shiro as she trailed off unable to finish. Shiro made a point to let her continue since she didn’t often speak of such painful topics. He really wished he could have done something for her. “… After what happened to my brother. Shiro, I don’t have any family but I do have you.”

Shiro smiled at Pidge’s words but the pain that radiated from them was nearly unbearable. Shiro still felt numb whenever Pidge mentioned her brother Matt, and no matter what anyone said, Shiro would always blame himself for the fall of Arus, and Matt’s death. Shiro wanted nothing more than to hide away from his past, but for Pidge’s sake he would stay strong. He truly wished that she would rely on him more but he didn’t blame her for being cautious. In the world they now lived in they could lose their lives at any moment; letting others get close was often more painful that suffering alone.

“You have Lance too Pidge, he might be annoying and useless but he’s also your brother.” Shiro poured himself another cup of tea as he pointed to the tray of food in front of Pidge, signaling that he wanted her to continue eating. 

“Lance? He’s more like… A sad puppy?” Pidge picked up the spoon placed beside a small bowl on the tray before tucking into some sort of unknown goo.

“He was an angry puppy this morning.” Shiro chuckled and shook his head.

“I heard about it; he came in here with his tail between his legs begging for advice.” A ghost of a smile finally graced Pidge’s face which made Shiro visibly relax. “I hope you weren’t too hard on him Shiro, he already feels horrible but he was kicking himself for what he said to you.”

It was Shiro’s turn to look away as Pidge spoke. He would have been lying if he said that Lance’s comments that morning didn’t hurt him, but he was also responsible for the survival of one of the last pockets of humanity in existence; he couldn’t let words said in anger and sadness bother him so much.

“I know I know. I just wish he would use some common sense and just follow my damn orders.” Shiro shook his head and sighed loudly. “What the hell am I going to do with him?”

“Just let him cool off for now while I look into something.” Pidge put down her spoon and pushed the half empty tray of food away from her. Shiro always brought more food than she could finish, but if he hadn’t encouraged Pidge to eat more the tray would have remained untouched. Shiro constantly worried about how little Pidge ate and slept but any time he opened his mouth to voice his concerns Pidge would lecture Shiro on her daily calorie intake and wake-sleep cycles until he felt the need to escape.

“He wants to get to that satellite facility so badly.” Shiro poured the remaining tea into his cup as he continued. “No matter what I tell him he just won’t leave it alone.”

“Shiro, leave this to me for now and hopefully Lance will behave himself in the meantime.” Pidge knew what she needed to look into but with everything else she had to work on finding the time to do additional, non-essential research would be tricky. “That being said Shiro, do I really have to be in charge of ventilation maintenance?!”

“Don’t you have teams that work under you? Why don’t you just delegate work to them?” Shiro finished the last of his tea as he answered Pidge.

“No they already do that.” Pidge couldn’t believe Shiro actually drank the entire pot.

“If they already do it then what’s the problem?” Shiro chuckled.

“I don’t want to read a report on ventilation systems!” Pidge whined in response but mostly because she realized how ridiculous the entire situation was.

Shiro smirked and reached over to ruffle the young woman’s hair only to be left empty handed as Pidge retreated at the last moment. The two of them just stared at each other for an instant before bursting out in uninhibited laughter. After a few minutes Shiro finally went to stand with Pidge following suit.

“Okay, okay I’ll stop complaining.” Pidge resigned herself to her fate.

“Good. I need your help with these systems Pidge; you’re the only one that can do it.” Shiro gently squeezed both of Pidge’s shoulders. “Your father would be so proud of you.”

Pidge reached out and wrapped her arms around Shiro as she fell into an overdue hug. She closed her eyes against the invasive thoughts of fear and uncertainty while she tried to embrace the feelings of acceptance and joy. Pidge wished she could have met her father if only to give him a piece of her mind.

“Damn straight he would have been proud of me!” Pidge pulled away from Shiro to address him. “First thing I would do would be to ask why on earth he designed some of the systems the way he did! Makes no sense at all! The computer terminals and base structures are in bizarre positions and don’t even get me started on the ventilation systems.”

“I swear I don’t need to hear all of it… again…” Shiro started for the door as he knew very well just how long Pidge could go on a verbal rampage.

“The storage facilities are the same way… Like a giant puzzle or something.” Pidge was already falling into her incessant theories as she turned back to her desk to write in her notes. “Why do the storage facilities need to be set up the same way?”

“Pidge, make sure you get some sleep.” Shiro had gone back to retrieve the food tray and walked back to the door before he turned around. He knew Pidge had already fallen back into her work but he couldn’t help but constantly worry about her. Shiro sighed as he opened the door and shut it quietly behind him. If there was one thing he was sure of it was that Pidge was the toughest out of anyone in the base and she would inevitably outlive them all.

 

~

 

Another evening had come and the routers were busy getting ready to set out. For the time being the 1st platoon would be combined with the 2nd and both platoons would embark at the same time. Lance didn’t argue with the situation as he observed from his usual position on the roof of the base. Laughter drifted upwards as he watched his soldiers enjoy some pre-work banter; the sight was quite different from what Lance was used to. A sigh fell from the boys lips as he shook negative thoughts from his mind; he was the one that pushed everyone away.

Lance leaned against the cold stone as he scanned the city before him. Rather than a cityscape, Altea resembled a barren wasteland. Distant rumbling could be heard from various directions as Lance closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. There was a major disturbance in the area of the 230-280 routes, and with the shift in wind direction Lance determined that routes 350, 376, and 390 were also out of commission. Lance hung his head as it seemed a large hoard was headed for the 400 routes once again; his chance to return was growing non-existent. 

“Sir?” A meek voice spoke from behind Lance. He turned around to find the boy who had yelled at him yesterday now standing before him with a look of concern on his face.

“Shiro sent you up here didn’t he?” Lance attempted to keep the frustration out of his voice but the way the boy looked at him it didn’t appear to have worked. “What can I do for you Dave?”

“Yes Sir! The commander said you had something for me?” The young boy met Lance with salute and a question.

“He did?” It took Lance a moment to realize what Shiro meant by those words. “Oh yes I do… Got a pen?”

Lance shared his routing information with the young boy who would pass it on to the platoons embarking for the evening. Lance commended Shiro for continuing to trust him even if he was benched; there was no way Lance would have been able to stay so impartial. For the umpteenth time that night Lance sighed and shook his head; he had no clue how to crawl up out of this mess. The boy was dismissed as Lance returned to the edge of the roof to watch the platoons leave without him. He had no idea if they would use his information but Lance had a feeling his route predictions were the only reason his soldiers put up with him for so long. 

As Lance gave one last look around the city before returning to the base to do paperwork something caught his eye. A movement in the shadows at least ten blocks from the base seemed too swift for a stray Galra and too quiet for one of the resistance soldiers. Lance struggled to try to make out the figure and was about to give up and head inside when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, this time nearly five hundred metres in the opposite direction.

“What the…” Lance leaned his weight on the cold stone and tried to follow the unknown moving object. It didn’t appear to be heading towards the base, but instead was making its way in a direction all too familiar to Lance.

In a split moment Lance jumped to action rushing for the door to the roof. He raced through the above ground portion of the base, making sure to pick up his kit and weapon on the way. Within moments he was outside and slightly out of breath as he carefully walked towards the gate.

“Hold on there.” One of the soldiers stationed at the gate stepped in from of Lance blocking his path. “Lieutenant you aren’t permitted to leave.”

Lance knew that Shiro had given orders to the soldiers to stop him from leaving, and he really didn’t blame Shiro for that. Unfortunately, Lance wasn’t about to lose his already dwindling connection to the shadow running through the city by arguing with others. He knew the guard change was scheduled to rotate within the next 10 minutes so Lance wasn’t too worried about the fate of the now sleeping gate keepers. Borrowing a bike, Lance made his way through the gates and out into the city after the mysterious shadow headed in the direction of the blue water facility.

There was something utterly eerie biking through the silent streets of a ruined city alone. Lance felt every fibre of his being so focused on his surroundings it was beyond surreal. Not long after leaving the safety of the base Lance could hear the crunching of stones off in the direction he was travelling trying to find the elusive shadow. He slowed down the bike, turned it off and propped it up against a nearby building. Lance hated the idea of abandoning his bike but in that moment he knew that if he wanted to get back alive, silence would be his best bet.

Continuing on foot Lance stuck to the edges of buildings to avoid visual detection from any wandering Galra. He could feel the blood pumping furiously through his veins as he tried to calm his heartbeat back from the stratosphere; every sound Lance heard was magnified one hundred fold as he pressed forward. Lance had no idea it he was even going in the right direction when a sudden shift in the wind stopped him dead in his tracks. That all too familiar smell of rotting flesh was ripe in the air as Lance scanned his surroundings slowly, trying to catch any movement before it was too late. 

Lance took one step forward when he heard the crunching of debris directly behind him. He whirled around just in time to dodge out of the way of long bony arms out stretched and grabbing for him. Lance looked up as his heart sank; at least a dozen putrid Galra were immerging from the surrounding infrastructure and making their way towards Lance’s position. His survival instinct kicked in just as the closest Galra was nearly on top on him. Lance rolled quickly to the left just barely missing the razor-like claws of the Galra coming down through his flesh. He managed to scramble up and instantly began running from the hoard that was now in hot pursuit.

The sounds of sloshing flesh and snapping bones filled Lance’s mind as he ran as fast as he could. From either side of the street he could see Galra emerge like sickening nightmares striking out from the darkness. Lance could feel the air in his lungs burn as he tried to desperately see through the tears now spilling out of his eyes. The terror kept him moving, but his mind was failing him. The Galra hoard now numbered several dozen as Lance tried to find a refuse. He wasn’t going to die at the hands of monsters; there was still so much more that he needed to do.

Lance veered around a sharp corner and was faced with his worst fear. A previously clear route had fallen; collapsed building debris now scattered through the road successfully blocking Lance’s escape. For the briefest of moments Lance imagined eating his own weapon but as soon as he went to bring the rifle to his mouth he noticed the movement of a shadow. On the second floor of one of the crumbling buildings Lance caught sight of what he was looking for. Without a second thought he raced in the direction of the shadow; climbing the pile of rubble with Galra still devastatingly close behind. There was a gap between the unstable pile of debris and the open façade of the building’s second floor. Lance didn’t give his actions a second thought as he leapt through the air and fell onto the floor of the building. Lance released the breath he had been holding as he looked up into the darkness.

Something caught Lance’s boot and yanked him backwards towards the edge of the crumbling building. He dug in hard into the concrete floor trying to find a grip against the superhuman strength dragging him to his death. Lance spun his head around to find the claw of a lone Galra caught in one of the straps of his boot. He thrashed and kicked with all his might but the creature only pulled harder. There was no way Lance would go down after coming this far as he flipped his body over and aimed his weapon in one smooth motion. The claw was so ingrained into Lance’s own boot he had no other option but to suffer a wound to escape. Lance aimed and squeezed the trigger but a flash of silver stopped him in his tracks.

It was as if the world slowed down in that moment as Lance watched the Galra’s limb being cleanly sliced off in one beautiful movement. Lance looked up in the darkness and was met by the piercing gaze of blue-grey eyes that sent waves of cold and heat pulsating through his body. Lance’s mouth felt dry and his mind clouded over as he tried to remember to breathe: it felt as if hours had passed. Before Lance could utter a question the figure standing in front of him lunged forward and grabbed Lance’s jacket, pulling him unceremoniously into one of the adjacent rooms. Lance quickly scrambled up with his back against the wall about to speak his mind when the figure grabbed Lance by the mouth his a gloved hand to silence him.

Lance knew he needed to stay quiet; he wasn’t so stupid that he couldn’t read the situation, but the figure he had been chasing was now pressed up against him with heartbeats raging in competition with each other. Lance willed his heart to slow down as the stranger shifted even closer to him. The smell of putrid flesh filled Lance’s nostrils that made him gag but the movement triggered the hand across his mouth to squeeze tighter. The figure that held Lance pinned to the wall closed the distance between their faces as a delicate chin was rested on the top of Lance’s shoulder. The movement was so intimate yet non-invasive that Lance had no clue how to react. As the shock subsided he was hit once again by a wave of decomposing flesh that never seemed as bad whenever he had been outside. Lance shifted his gaze to the stranger’s hood and finally realized where the smell was coming from.

The shadow Lance had been chasing and that was now pressed up so close to him was wearing the skin of a Galra. Lance thought for a moment he would be sick but instead the idea intrigued him; he never thought to don the flesh of the monsters in order to avoid being detected. Lance shifted as if to reach out and touch the stranger’s hood when his wrist was caught and pinned against his body. Lance couldn’t understand why he was being kept in place with his mouth still covered until he saw the Galra immerging through the door only a few feet away. 

The faint crunching of bone and snapping of dried sinew filled the tiny room that signaled there was no escape. Pounds of maggot filled flesh undulated and fell from the creatures to form sickening puddles on the floor. Three Galra had wandered into the room Lance and the stranger occupied. In that moment Lance relaxed underneath the figure holding him in place; he had no reason to believe that he would not die on the spot, but for some reason all fear left his body. A few moments passed and the Galra had wandered back out of the room, passing their pray hidden in plain sight. Lance didn’t dare move after the creatures had left as he stood perfectly still. An impossibly long time passed before the stranger finally untangled from Lance’s own body; slowly removing the gloved had that covered Lance’s mouth.

“Close one.” Lance spoke through the dryness that occupied his mouth as he stepped forward to address the stranger. In that moment several things happened; Lance felt the familiar sting of a blow to his cheek as he also looked up in a daze from the floor he was now laying on; the stranger with the blue-grey eyes had a sword pointed directly at Lance’s throat.

“I have questions.” The stranger spoke just above a whisper but the clearness of each word easily penetrated Lance’s mind: he hoped he had answers.

“Am I dead either way?” Lance asked quietly.

“Depends on you.” The stranger answered in a tone not unlike a question. Lance was quiet familiar with catching Pidge off-guard with his questions so he knew the same thing had just happened. 

“I’ll try my best.” Lance decided to trust his gut and be truthful with the stranger standing before him. He had a feeling trust wasn’t a strong suit of the stranger but he wouldn’t have risked both their lives for nothing.

“If you try anything I’ll kill you.” The stranger backed up a few steps and sheathed the sword that was previously at Lance’s throat. Lance didn’t dare try to stand up before being told to, so he sat quietly and watched. “We can’t stay here.”

“Where are we going?” Lance raised an eyebrow in question and cocked his head to the side; did the stranger have a base of operations?

“Come.” The stranger beckoned to Lance.

“Wait!” Lance stood up slowly with his arms raised slightly in surrender; he really didn’t want to be accidently stabbed. “What do I call you?”

“Doesn’t matter.” The stranger addressed Lance from behind the Galra hood in almost a meek manner. Lance pressed further.

“I won’t go with you unless you give me your name.” Lance spoke softly and without threat, he didn’t want to push the stranger into a corner. “I’m Lance.”

After Lance spoke, a moment passed before the stranger made any movement. Gloved hands reached up to slowly draw back the hood of the Galra flesh that the stranger wore draped around him. Lance was met once again with the hard gaze of grey-blue eyes, but now set in the delicately handsome face of a young man. Jet black hair framed either side of the boy’s pale white face as the long strands of hair were securely tied at the back. Although he was around the same height as Lance, the boy seemed less daunting now that he had a visual to the face-punching actions and stabbing threats. Lance wanted to laugh but refrained for fear of getting hit again.

“Lance.” The words rolled off the tongue of the stranger as if he had never spoken a name before in his life. He turned to fully face Lance before taking a breath and visibly steeling himself. “My name is Keith.”

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Hope it wasn't too gross? Woot Keith showed up hooray!!!
> 
> Feel free to leave comments and kudos they are my life blood!
> 
> See you soon~~~


	4. An Outsider’s Grace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Look a new chapter! Sorry it's a bit short but you know what they say... I'm horribly lazy....
> 
> Enjoy~~~

Barren stone structures held onto damp air as if they were struggling to survive. Without walls of insulation the gutted buildings felt other worldly and cold to the touch as shadows swirled and played around every corner. Even in the silent night the buildings themselves appeared to be alive as the wind whistled through abandoned corridors to the very bones of the two figures traversing forwards. Lance was quietly following his new found friend without a single word of protest. The other boy walked a few steps in front but was keenly aware of every single movement Lance made. At one point a small stone tumbled from the ceiling and was about to hit Lance square in the head, only for Keith to deflect it at the last minute. Keith hadn’t said a word but Lance somehow knew just from the glare he received that he really wasn’t supposed to be touching anything at all, ever.

The tension running through the air was almost palpable as Keith guided the way through fallen walls and open holes, slowly moving onwards and upwards. Lance had always prided himself in being able to find his way through routes but at that very moment he seriously questioned his abilities as if he was in the presense of a master. Millions of questions ran through Lance’s mind as he internally bore the image of Keith’s guiding back; where did the boy come from and how had he managed to survive all this time? How was he so capable of finding his way around the Galra as if he possessed a sixth sense? There was one question that Lance needed answered most of all; what did Keith want?

The two young men reached the end of a dark corridor that appeared to be blocked completely with fallen rubble. Lance sighed and began to turn around to start off towards the direction of another route when he caught sight of Keith carefully climbing the pile of rocks. An inquisitive look formed on Lance’s face as he squinted to see Keith’s form suddenly disappear into the ceiling. Lance followed the path Keith had taken up the rubble, making sure to only touch the stones Keith had touched; as he reached the top of the pile he noticed a small opening in the ceiling and a gloved hand reaching downwards. Lance took hold of the hand that was offered and Keith helped him up through the ceiling and into the light.

“We’re here.” Keith spoke softly as he began to walk across the room.

Lance stood in place and scanned the room in awe. A defensive wall of stones had been placed around the entrance and could have easily been toppled onto intruders at any moment. On the far side of the room a window remained in place allowing moonlight into the room and providing shelter from the elements. Nearby the window, but out of view from the outside world, was a small crate that had been overturned and was currently being used as a table; a lone candle sat slumped and melted onto the surface. Several burlap sacks had been opened up and thrown over piles of rubble to form some sort of makeshift chair. Lance couldn’t help but be impressed with how the space was not only used but also defended.

“Who was your decorator this place is so caveman chic.” Lance began to wander towards the small table where Keith had already lit the candle and sat down. Keith simply watched Lance as if he were some sort of alien entity, rather than exchanging witty banter; Lance already knew his jokes would be pointless but that never stopped him before.

“Sit down.” Keith finally spoke as he motioned to the floor in front of him.

“You’re not going to offer your guest a chair?” Lance smirked and walked forward slowly.

“You aren’t a guest.” Keith continued to watch Lance intensely as if the other boy would disappear if he were to look away. “I still haven’t decided if I’m going to kill you or not.”

Lance stopped in his tracks and looked down at the boy sitting in front of him before bursting out laughing. The sound was full and glorious as tears began to stream down his face and his innards ached at the act. Lance couldn’t contain himself, and as he continued to regard Keith the laughter only intensified. The look of mortification and concern on Keith’s face was unbearably hilarious as if the other boy had never heard the sound in his life and was worried Lance was dying: the thought caused a pang of regret to course through Lance’s mind. Roaring laughter became lighthearted chuckling as Lance attempted to control himself, for once in his life actually being successful.

“Sorry, sorry.” Lance waved a hand in front of his face as he finally sat down on the floor across from Keith. “With everything that has happened today I just needed to let that out! I managed to survive a hoard of Galra, if I died at your hands I probably wouldn’t even mind.”

In the dim candle light Lance could have sworn he saw a look of pain cross Keith’s face but in an instant any traces of emotion were gone. Keith leaned forward with his sword carefully laid across his knee; the bangs of his hair free from being tied back as they gently framed his face. Lance noticed Keith had taken off the Galra cloak after entering the room, probably to mask the entrance as well as to keep the smell at bay. A sigh fell from Lance’s lips as he closed his eyes and shook his head; the entire situation was so bizarre he had no idea where to begin.

“Where did you come from?” Keith barely breathed the words for Lance to hear.

“I was just going to ask you the same thing.” Lance cocked his head in answer.

“Well I asked first.” Keith frowned again as he grew more and more impatient.

“Why don’t we do this? You ask a question then I get to ask a question until we’re both satisfied?” Lance shifted on the floor into a more comfortable position, his hands placed behind him as he leaned back to recline. As Lance relaxed the tension that had such a tight hold on Keith also seemed to dissipate somewhat; Keith slowly nodded his head in acceptance of Lance’s proposal.

“Well then,” Lance chuckled excitedly. “Let’s get started!”

 

~ 

 

In the flickering candlelight that cast shadows across the room Keith was speechless against the behaviour of the boy sitting in front of him. Lance was currently rambling on and on about anything and everything that seemed to instantly pop into his head much to the confusion of Keith. It wasn’t as if Keith didn’t understand what the other boy was saying; but the lack of human contact had definitely taken its toll on Keith’s ability to converse. He sat quietly and listened to Lance, now complaining about some sort of sustenance he had named food goo, when Keith suddenly found the corners of his lips pulling into a long forgotten formation.

“I was wondering how long it would take.” Lance abruptly changed topics once again.

“How long what would take?” Keith couldn’t help but glare at the other boy, there was no way he could let his guard down against this person, but there was something that made him oddly comfortable.

“For you to smile!” Lance chuckled lightheartedly as he gazed towards Keith in the most non-threatening manner possible. Keith wasn’t stupid, he knew this boy was trying to coax him into relaxing and letting his guard down; the thought only made him tense up even more.

“You haven’t answered my question.” Keith returned to his cold way of speaking much to the dismay of Lance. “Where did you come from?”

Keith watched the other boy thinking hard before he spoke again, his thoughts clearly swirling just below the surface waiting to escape. At first Keith had thought that Lance was simply playing the fool; joking around and avoiding his questions as he pretended to be unintelligent. However, there was obviously more to the other boy than met the eye.

“Well when a mother and a father love each other very much…” Lance had started his answer with another joke, much to the distain of Keith. However, Keith knew not to bother interrupting Lance’s pattern of answering questions at this point. 

Soon enough Lance began to grow quiet as his joking demeanor did not appear to have been taken all that well. Keith continued to watch Lance as if he was some sort of strange creature about to do something interesting. Lance closed his eyes, showing Keith long, dark eyelashes gently brushing against his dark skin; a sigh fell from his lips before he spoke once more.

“There’s a place, not too far from here, where a few survivors have camped out.” Lance spoke clearly as he looked straight into Keith’s eyes. “I thought I saw a shadow and wandered away from the group.”

“You wandered away from your camp because you saw a shadow?” Keith asked inquisitively. “What made you think it wasn’t a Galra?”

Lance brought one hand up and drew it through his hair as he sighed once more. After conversing with the other boy for so long, Keith had noticed that whenever he appeared to be thinking deeply, Lance would sigh and fidget in some manner. The mannerisms truly intrigued Keith as they appeared so… Human.

“I don’t know why I followed you.” Lance answered quietly without looking at Keith for a moment.

Silence fell in the small dark room as Lance continued to look away. A feeling of warmth seemed to flow through Keith starting from his feet and slowly rising through his limbs before sitting deeply within his chest. The feeling was nearly painful as a swirling heat shot pangs of lashing charges throughout his ribcage as if it housed some sort of demonic creature. The sensation caught Keith off guard as the next words he spoke were his true feelings.

“That’s the first time you’ve spoken the truth to me today.” The words fell from Keith’s mouth before he could stop himself.

Keith immediately brought his hand to his mouth as he couldn’t believe he let his true thoughts out. What on earth possessed him to show any kind of weakness towards this completely stranger? Keith tightened his grip on his sword when he finally looked towards Lance.

Keith thought he would have been laughed at, or taken advantage of in some manner, but instead the look on Lance’s face caused the swirling warmth in Keith’s chest to grow and expand throughout his entire body. Lance gazed softly towards Keith with an unnamed emotion Keith could not quite describe. Although he had no reason to trust Lance’s reaction, he almost immediately felt relief. Keith could feel his eyebrows knit in confusion at the situation but before he could speak again Lance stood and began walking around the table before sitting down right beside Keith.

“Wha-” Keith couldn’t believe what Lance was doing and he was too stunned at the brass behaviour to react right away.

“Okay.” Lance put his hands on his knees and looked Keith right in the eye before continuing. “Before you turn me into a shish kabob let me just get this out.”

“… Okay.” Keith was shocked and couldn’t answer any differently.

“A group of survivors have control of an advanced facility made from some sort of futuristic tech that only this smart little girl can understand at all while I’m a member of an elite team of soldiers that specifically clears the routes for supply runs while keeping soldiers safe and clear of Galra hoards. There are these storage facilities on the outskirts of the city that house more of this advanced tech that seemingly came from nowhere but is singlehandedly keeping the last pocket of humanity alive with any hope for survival into the future and for some damn reason I see this shadow out in the city and against every ounce of my training and instinct to survive I follow it. Why the hell did I follow a shadow for absolutely no reason?! Why was a human out in the middle of this fucking city full of death and destruction?! And most importantly what the hell am I supposed to do now that the 400s have been overrun again and it’ll be impossible to get to a stupid storage facility?!?!” Lance had finished his tirade as he stood in front of Keith, hands balled into tight fists and his breathing heavy. 

Keith was beyond speechless by the time Lance had finished his rant. This boy, absolutely full of anger and frustration, was yelling at him as if everything was Keith’s fault. The swirling warmth that filled Keith’s chest just moments ago was replaced with the icy sting of cold rage that Keith had forgotten he was even capable of feeling. Before thoughts had even formed in his head Keith placed his sword off to one side, stood at eye level with the boy in front of him, and let all hell rain down.

“Who the fuck do you think you are yelling at me about your petty problems?! Do you seriously think you’re the only one in this forsaken wasteland that has gone through hardships and failure? You are surrounded by people, living, breathing, people and you have the audacity to cry and complain like a small child denied his toy? Grow the fuck up Lance; you don’t know what real suffering even is.” Keith paused for a brief moment, tears threatening to spill from his eyes before he pressed onwards. “I have lost everything and everyone I have ever loved. My entire camp was destroyed 8 years ago; I lost my mother and father in the attack. With nowhere to turn I’ve had to wander in search of anything in order to survive. There have been things that I’ve done that would make even a seasoned soldier cringe in disgust but still I’ve gone forward! All this time and I have had one sole goal in mind and I’ll be damned if some stupid, spoiled brat is going to stand in my way!”

Keith had finally stopped yelling at Lance as he tried to catch his breath from the ordeal. He watched Lance’s reaction careful so as not to be caught off guide but no matter what he did the boy in front of him always managed to surprise him.

“At least you had parents. I grew up in an orphanage and managed to survive with one other person, my best friend and blood brother. On a run a few months ago… I killed him.” Lance looked Keith straight in the eye and delivered the news without a bat of an eyelash. Keith was taken aback for a moment but his reaction time to the other boy was growing shorter and shorter.

“My parents were bitten by a Galra and I had to cut off both their heads.” Keith took Lance’s challenge and stared him down with his own answer.

“Everyone in the base hates me because I keep getting my teammates killed.” Lance crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one foot in a gesture similar to ‘beat that’.

“I’ve had to skin Galra alive and make clothes out of their flesh.” Keith huffed in feigned machoism.

“I piss off my boss and he beats me up.” Lance took a step closer and got right into Keith’s face.

“Well… I once ate an old can of dog food and nearly died from food poisoning!” Keith wasn’t one to be outmatched.

“Oooh good one…” Lance placed a hand under his chin in contemplation. “Don’t think I can beat that.”

Keith shifted his head to one side as his eyes went wide with a questioning stare; the entire scene was apparently too much for Lance to take as he immediately burst out laughing once again.

“What the hell is so funny now?!” Keith began to pout but it only made Lance laugh harder.

“This is just so… ridiculous…I can’t… Breathe!” Lance choked out a few words in between laughs. He held his stomach tightly as he attempted to stop and straighten back up. “Besides, I already won! Nothing is as stupid as trying to get to some stupid storage facility while getting your team killed… I wish I hadn’t even laid eyes on the blue water facility.”

Keith froze in place as if an unknown entity had taken over his body and his actions were no longer his own. He stared at Lance for what seemed like forever before his brain was finally able to register what it had heard.

“What did you say?” Keith asked Lance carefully.

“What? The blue water facility?” Lance wasn’t too sure what to make of the change in behaviour of his companion.

“So, does that mean it’s survived?” Keith covered his mouth with his hand as he practically bore holes through Lance’s skull. “Where is it?!”

“Where is what?” Lance couldn’t help but keep the excitement out of his voice as he leaned closer to Keith, looking for an answer.

Without another word Keith shifted his gaze away from Lance and towards a spot behind Lance’s head. Keith watched as Lance slowly turned around to look at the exact same spot, tentative breathes held anxiously between the two. Keith could see the tension radiate through Lance’s body as his eyes finally adjusted to the low light cast around the room. His eyes went wide as he quickly swung around to look straight at Keith; a look of understanding planted firmly on his face.

In the shifting shadows of the room Keith continued to stare at the wall where he had painted the symbol he was so desperate to find, a symbol that the other boy obviously knew so well. For the second time in years a smile pulled at the corners of Keith’s lips as he almost welcomed the forgotten emotion. The flickering candlelight casting shadows across the wall as if flames were truly dancing from the hand-drawn symbol for the red fire facility, the destination Keith had been searching for all this time. 

 

~ 

 

As if pieces of some giant puzzle were finally starting to come together Lance jumped into a barrage of questions for Keith. There was no way he could have contained his excitement knowing that there was someone else out there that sought out the storage facilities.

“Wait, wait… Why do you need to find the red fire facility?!” Lance tried to put his thoughts into order before getting too carried away.

“That’s what my parents told me to do. Go find the building with this symbol.” Keith answered enthusiastically as he waved towards the drawing on the far wall. The two boys sat down on the burlap covered rocks as they continued to converse.

“Okay, but why did they want you to find it?!” Lance leaned forward towards Keith; eyes sparkling with his growing understanding.

“I… I don’t know.” Keith looked away from the dazzling brightness of Lance’s demeanor; it was still too overwhelming for him. “But I hoped that I would find out answers once I was there.”

Lance leaned back and thought about what was happening. He was elated that there was now some justification for his strange behaviour; he couldn’t wait to tell Pidge that he wasn’t crazy.

“Wait!” Lance shouted a bit too loudly as a thought popped into his head. Almost immediately his mouth was covered by Keith’s hands as he glared daggers at Lance which clearly said ‘shut the fuck up you idiot’.

“What?” Keith whispered in response as he slowly removed his hands from Lance’s mouth.

“Sorry I just had a thought. Pidge will know what to do! How could I not have thought of that sooner?!” Lance beamed at the thought of the look on Pidge’s face once he could tell her what was going on. She would be able to use the information to formulate a plan for sure. 

“What’s a Pidge?” Keith couldn’t keep the confusion off his face.

“Oh well…” Lance was about to answer before a shadow cast itself through his mind. There was one thing that Lance hadn’t thought of. “Shit.”

“A what?!” Keith was truly lost.

“I completely forgot… What the hell am I going to do about ‘that’.” Lance was shaking his head before he buried his face in his hands. Keith knit his brow in frustration as he reached out and grabbed Lance by the shoulder.

“What is going on just tell me.” Keith squeezed tightly as he looked Lance straight in the eye.

“My Commander is going to murder me.” Lance actually whined as he went to bury his face into his hands once more, only to be stopped my Keith.

“The guy that beats you up?” Keith needed some answers before Lance went off into his own little world again.

“Not only was I not allowed to leave the base, we’ve been out here for more than a day now, he’ll kill me for sure.” Lance sighed deeply at the thought of never getting to join routing missions again and instead being left on floor cleaning duty.

“He can’t be that bad…” Keith trailed off when Lance turned his head and glared.

“You don’t know what he’s like! He’s always so hard on me for some reason and all I ever do is manage to disappoint him!” Lance shook his head in an attempt to remove the negative thoughts. “Besides, I’m coming home with a strange boy and there is no way Shiro’s not going to lose it.”

Silence descended on the room as Lance waited for Keith’s reaction that never came. Lance looked over at the other boy in question but was immediately at a loss for words. Keith’s eyes grew bigger and darker set in his pale, delicate face nearly void of active blood flow. Lance had no idea what turned Keith so ghostly but he immediately jumped up and into action at the thought that a Galra had discovered their location. He was about to run off towards the entrance when a hand around his wrist stopped him and forced him to look back. Keith held Lance’s wrist tightly when he finally met his eyes and barely breathed out the words that threatened to choke him.

“Shiro… He’s alive?” Tears spilled down Keith’s face as he tried to hold himself together, his grip tightening even more. “Please Lance… Take me to him.”

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooooh getting interesting now! What's gonna happen?!?!? 
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! Kudos and comments are always welcome!!!


	5. Wandering Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Another chapter for your viewing pleasure~~~ 
> 
> Same old song and dance... Hope you enjoy, feel free to comment etc. etc...
> 
> Unfortunately my weekly updates are no more, however I hope to get out the new chapters bi-weekly instead!
> 
> But for now enjoy the moment!
> 
> ~ ~ ~

Lance and Keith had spent most of the day questioning each other that by the time they were ready to set off the next routing missions had already begun. The two boys carefully left the safety of Keith’s make-shift base and started off towards the roof; Keith had been confused why they were going up and not down but he followed Lance’s lead. The building was quiet in the still darkness as Lance found his way through the stark hallways leading to the roof. Once the two boys opened the door into the coolness of the night both stopped for a moment to breathe deeply; a thought flashed through Lance’s mind that caused him to look over at Keith, but he quickly buried it.

“Keith over here.” Lance jogged over to the edge of the building and quietly beckoned Keith to join him. The two boys stood looking out over the city from their place on the roof as Keith furrowed his brow in confusion; what on earth was Lance doing?

Keith gazed over at Lance and carefully watched as the other boy slowly scanned his environment. The look on Lance’s face was pure concentration as he appeared to absorb every ounce of information from his surroundings; carefully processing all of the facts before deciding what to do. Lance had explained his job to Keith earlier, but Keith had no idea just how fascinating Lance was when he was working. After what seemed like hours Lance finally turned his gaze towards Keith, a huge grin spreading wide across his face. The gesture caused Keith to look away as he felt heat rising up his neck and into his face. He took a deep breath before turning back towards Lance.

“How does it look?” Keith’s voice managed not to betray how unsteady he was. It frustrated him that he was having such a hard time controlling himself, Keith figured he must just be exhausted.

“We are in luck! Two open routes but we have to leave right away!” Lance reached out and grabbed Keith’s hand, pulling the boy off towards the door of the roof. Unfortunately the route Lance had taken early, still containing his abandoned bike, was no longer a viable option. He’d have to pay for that one once they returned to base. “I’ll get us through the routes safely if you can watch our backs.”

“On it.” Keith whispered in response; now was not the time to be distracted, as he was finally within reach of his goal. 

The thought of being able to see Shiro again was enough to make Keith smile slightly, the innocent response not being lost on Lance who squeezed Keith’s hand before letting him go. They had to get back to the base, after that Lance would figure out what he needed to do.

 

~

 

The streets were silent as the two boys moved swiftly through the darkness; every flickering shadow potentially carried death as they remained ever vigilant. It didn’t take long before they were clear from the 400s; Lance breathed a sigh of relief once he was back in more familiar territory.

“Don’t let your guard down.” Lance stated, much to the surprise of Keith after Lance had appeared to visibly relax. A nod from Keith let Lance know that he was fully aware of their situation as they continued forwards.

Lance had taken them to a common apex where multiple routes met. The open grounds were surrounded by low buildings that were a perfect place for snipers to be positioned, and sure enough Lance caught a glint of light out of the corner of his eye.

“Keith, no matter what, do not raise your weapon.” Lance stepped in between where he saw the light and Keith, moving one arm in means of protection. “They will kill you over the smallest thing.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Keith whispered to Lance as he brought his hands away from his sides attempting to look as unimposing as possible. Lance looked back over his shoulder at Keith and smirked; he couldn’t help but think the gesture was adorable.

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” Three soldiers emerged from the shadows of a nearby building. Rifles raised into firing position, Lance swore under his breathe; he had hoped routers would have still been in the area but instead he just had to run into a fighter squadron.

“Ah, sorry about that guys! I got, um, lost?” Lance kept his voice steady but lighthearted; he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

“A lost router… Are you trying to be funny?” One of the nearest soldiers spoke as the other two had stopped and stood a few feet out of reach, apparently they weren’t done considering if they would shoot or not.

“It’s a funny story actually I’ll tell you all about it over a plate of goo in the mess.” Lance laughed slightly even with the palpable tension in the air. 

Keith has trying his hardest to remain as still and silent behind Lance, even going so far as to not make eye contact with any of the soldiers that stood in front of them. He was in awe of Lance’s communication skills and ability to diffuse situations; he had noticed after they had met as well, just how good Lance was with words.

“Well, I guess you have your own circumstances.” The soldier nearest to Lance was laughing now in response to something funny Lance had said. Keith watched the two talking as if they were long lost friends; the thought caused Keith to grip his chest as a pang of regret formed at his words.

Keith had just realized the grave mistake he had made when silence fell across the open grounds. Keith looked up and was met with three rifles pointing straight at his head, and Lance standing directly in their path. Keith didn’t dare move a muscle, the only thing he could do was internally thank Lance to the heavens and back for convincing him not to wear his Galra cloak; if the survivors were this cautious of Keith in the presense of a Lieutenant, they would have shot him onsite if he wore the skin of their enemies.

“Stand down, he’s with me.” Lance spoke softly but firmly to the soldiers but they made no indications that they would lower their weapons. Lance sighed deeply as he brought one hand up to his head and ran it through his hair. “Can you escort us back to base?”

“What makes you think I’ll do that?” The soldier that spoke before asked almost hesitantly, causing Lance to grin in response.

“Because… When I get back to base the Commander is going to tear me a new one.” Lance laughed at his own statement before continuing. “How does that sound?”

The three soldiers exchanged a look between them before finally nodding in agreement. Keith release the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding as he watched one soldier get into position to lead their little group while the others flanked them carefully; Keith appreciated how professional they were, if only he hadn’t been on the receiving end.

“Time to go Keith!” Lance swung around and grabbed Keith’s hand, pulling him forwards to walk beside him. Keith wasn’t exactly sure what Lance was thinking but the tension that ran down the other boy’s fingers and into his own hand caused Keith to hesitate; he laced their fingers together and waited for the tension to ease before finally looking up at Lance. 

“Lead the way.” Keith steeled himself for what was to come as he looked forward through the darkness.

 

~ 

 

It didn’t take long for everyone to get back to base, strip out of their field gear and begin to head underground. Keith wasn’t comfortable handing over his sword but Lance had successfully convinced their guards to agree to carry it within Keith’s line of sight; the gesture was greatly appreciated by Keith even though not having his weapon made him feel practically naked. As they continued further into the base Keith couldn’t believe his eyes; it seemed so small and unimposing when they first arrived but before he knew it a whole new world had opened up before him. He followed Lance through a particularly long stretch of hallway when suddenly he heard shouting from just around the corner.

“He’s back?!” A voice filled with rage, and something difficult to describe, came roaring just out of sight.

Lance stopped dead in his tracks as Keith walked unceremoniously into his back. He was just about to give Lance a piece of his mind before he noticed beads of sweat forming on Lance’s forehead as they began to slowly trickle down his sullen face. Keith looked at the other boy in question and was about to ask what the hell was going on when suddenly the voice began yelling once more.

“Everyone is dismissed!” This shout was closer, just around the corner, and seemed more heated than the last.

“Shiiiiiiiit…” Lance stood his ground as his eyes grew wide and shiny in his now visibly pale face. Keith had noticed their guarding escorts had backed off considerably from where they were standing; Keith decided to follow suit and stepped back behind Lance.

Footsteps bounded off the walls at a fast pace as the encroaching figure barreled down on the two boys standing in the stark white hallway. Keith had no clue if he should make his presense known or not but before he had a chance to think about his options Lance was picked up and shoved against the wall by the figure now pinning him in place. Keith was shocked by the suddenness as he tried to regain composure.

“Where the fuck have you been?!” Shiro barked out in a harsh whisper as he tried to calm his trembling nerves. He didn’t care there were people standing around watching the show at this point.

“I’m sorry.” Lance locked eyes with Shiro from his place on the wall as he gave his most sincere apology. Shiro hesitated in that moment as he slowly lowered Lance back down to floor, still holding onto the front of his shirt. Lance kept one hand placed lightly on Shiro’s forearm as he continued. “I have no excuses. I ignored your orders and left the base even when I knew what would happen. I am fully willing to accept my punishments whatever you deem fit, but please if I can ask one thing from you; I need you to listen to what I have to say before you lock me up. Can you promise me that Commander? Shiro?”

Shiro finally released Lance from his grasp and was at a complete loss for words. What the hell had happened to him over the last twenty four hours that he turned into a completely different person? Shiro figured there must have been something more to the entire situation but before he could open his mouth to ask a hand reached out and grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn and see who was interrupting them. With a scowl already on Shiro’s face he was ready to give the person a piece of his mind, when he was quickly silenced by the dark blue-grey eyes that appeared all too familiar. 

“Shiro? Is it really you?” Keith asked tentatively, afraid that his senses were betraying him. He could feel Shiro’s arm tense up underneath his touch but he didn’t dare take his eyes away. Shiro’s eyes finally seemed to focus as his jaw visually dropped in response.

“Keith?!” Shiro shouted in absolute surprise, apparently this wasn’t a hallucination. “You’re alive?!”

 

~ 

 

Although Shiro had been absolutely stunned with Keith’s appearance after so many years, he had managed to retain his composure enough to shepherd both Keith and Lance into a nearby vacant room. Shiro quickly dismissed the guarding escorts, took back Keith’s weapon when he requested it stay with him, and closed the door behind him all within a matter of seconds. Shiro turned and looked Keith up and down as he felt his eyes begin to tear up; the sight of someone so dear to him actually standing alive in front of him was almost too much to bear. Shiro didn’t waste any time rushing forwards and pulling Keith into his embrace.

“Wha-” Keith had not been prepared to get hugged as he felt heat radiate through his entire body. He was in complete disbelief that Shiro, the one whom he spent so long searching for, was finally within his grasp.

“I’m the one that should be surprised! I don’t even know where to start!” Shiro stepped back as he gently cupped Keith’s face with his hands, tracing over every minute detail with his gaze. “What happened?”

Keith had absolutely no words as tears spilled from his eyes; he could feel Shiro tense in reaction but the joy, and sorrow, was just too much to bare. It felt as if a solid mass had formed in Keith’s throat as he tried to breathe past the pain radiating through his entire being. Just as it felt as if he wouldn’t be able to take anymore, a hand gently pressed into the small of his back that seemed to instantly calm him down; Keith knew without turning around that Lance was there to support him. The thought of relying so much on someone he barely knew scared Keith almost as much as fighting the Galra.

“I saw Keith in the city when I was scouting yesterday.” Lance spoke in an attempt to answer Shiro’s question. “There was just something… I don’t really know how to explain it, but I needed to follow my gut and well… Here we are.”

The room fell silent as Shiro shifted his gaze from Keith to Lance and once again back to Keith. He sighed deeply as he tried to think things through; he would need to punish Lance, again, but more importantly he needed to hear Keith’s story.

“Okay, we’ll leave it at that Lance, I want to hear you out but I also want to speak to Keith. Can you wait for us in Pidge’s lab?” Shiro finally released Keith from his grasp but couldn’t manage to allow his gaze to follow. 

“Yeah that’s fine.” Lance shrugged off the feeling of being a third wheel as he laced his fingers behind his head and turned towards the door. “Keith, you haven’t seen Shiro since you were what? 10? You have 10 years to catch up on! Just don’t forget about us in the lab.”

Lance was through the door and gone before either Keith or Shiro could get in a word edge wise. Shiro had to admit that the boy had a knack for not only being able to read situations but also use them to his advantage in a number of ways; Shiro vowed to stop underestimating Lance immediately.

 

~ 

 

The trek to Pidge’s lab gave Lance a lot to think about. He didn’t want to admit it but Keith’s reactions to seeing Shiro bothered him more than what he considered to be normal. He had arrived at the lab door deep in thought, wandering inside without knocking first; Lance wasn’t prepared to suffer an attack so abruptly.

“How many times do I have to tell you to just do it yourself!” Pidge yelled in Lance’s direction as she tried to quickly organize the papers on her desk before finally looking up. “Just do whatever you think is right---.”

“You threw a book at my head…” Lance rubbed his forehead where he got hit, but the small manual didn’t do any damage. “Good to see you too Pidge.”

Lance bent down to pick up the book and for a second time within only a few moments he came under assault once more. Pidge had leapt from her chair and raced over, frantically hugging Lance as he stood back up. The action was so foreign to Lance that he was completely speechless; he didn’t even dare move for fear of the consequences.

“You stupid idiot!” Tears fell from Pidge’s eyes as she shouted into Lance’s chest, squeezing him tightly. “You can’t just disappear like that! You can’t just leave I won’t allow it!”

Lance realized once more how much of an idiot he really was. There were people that cared for him and his safety that would miss him if he was gone. As Pidge cried in his arms, Lance folded himself around her and hugged her tightly to him without a word; he simply held Pidge as she shook with anger and relief.

After what felt like forever Pidge had finally calmed down and pulled away from Lance. She rubbed her eyes dry and unceremoniously punched Lance in the stomach. Lance took it all in stride as he followed Pidge over to her tea table in the corner; he had no clue how many times she was going to end up surprising him as he beckoned for Lance to sit down.

“Tell me everything that happened, don’t leave anything out.” Pidge stated boldly as she picked up the kettle to boil some water. “Also as punishment I’m making you tea.”

Lance didn’t waste any time jumping right into the events that occurred the day before. He told Pidge all about seeing the shadow out in the city, deciding to follow it, getting attacked by a Galra hoard and nearly dying as well. Lance told Pidge about Keith; how he survived and what he was like, even his mysterious past with Shiro. Throughout his story Pidge would simply listen intently and nod, pausing him to clarify one or two of his statements, as well as pointing to his empty tea cup for a mandatory refill. By the time Lance was finished both his story and his tea he was utterly and completely exhausted.

“How do you always manage to get yourself into these situations?” Pidge could only sigh and shake her head in response to Lance’s ridiculous tale; however, she couldn’t help but also be slightly impressed.

“That’s not everything Pidge.” Lance leaned forward as he placed his head in his hands before continuing. “I’ve been feeling weird for a while now.”

“What do you mean weird?” Pidge inquired carefully. “Like sick?”

“No, not sick… I’m not sure.” It was Lance’s turn to sigh as he buried his face even deeper into his hands. “It’s about Keith.”

Pidge fell silent as she continued to look at Lance slumped over in front of her. She was having a hard time figuring out what on earth the other boy was feeling and that was definitely a first; normally Lance was one of the easiest people for her to read. Pidge wanted to be supportive in any way that she could and in that moment she knew that she needed to let Lance start talking on his own accord. Soon enough, Lance breathed out a year’s worth of sighs and straightened himself upright, appearing to visibly steel himself for what Pidge could only describe as an internal battle.

“When I first met him, no, even before then, there was just something about Keith… I can’t even describe it.” Lance spoke softly as if he was worried about being overheard. “When he talks, the way he moves, like a cat stalking his prey through the shadows; I just can’t take my eyes off him.”

“Lance…” It was Pidge’s turn to be at a loss for words, not knowing if she should try to translate the feelings Lance had been experiencing. After a brief pause she decided to speak her mind “Have you ever thought that maybe you like him?”

Lance could only look at Pidge with an expression of complete confusion. Instead of answering her right away Lance took a moment to think; did he like Keith? He had only just met the boy but something just felt so eternal whenever they were together. Lance closed his eyes and imagined Keith standing in front of him, a frown on his face with sword in hand; Lance couldn’t help but grin at the sight and in that moment he knew.

“Yes, I think I do.” Lance opened his eyes and smiled brightly to the young lady sitting across the table. 

“You do what?” Keith interrupted their discussion so abruptly Lance and Pidge nearly jumped out of their own skin.

“What the?!?! Keith! Where the hell did you—WHAT DID YOU HEAR?!?!??!” Lance jumped up from his seat and began shouting at the intruder, only to realize Shiro was striding into view.

“I didn’t hear anything that’s why I asked, dummy.” Keith retorted with a smirk as he crossed his arms and tilted his head to one side, he really did enjoy watching Lance’s reactions. “So it was something you didn’t want me to hear? Interesting…”

“Keith don’t tease him, and Lance stop yelling.” Shiro reached their little group as he stretched out and placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder to keep the boy from continuing his onslaught against Lance. Lance saw the innocent gesture and quickly felt the heat enter his cheeks before he looked away to avoid getting caught in a blush. He was just about to tell off Shiro when Pidge stepped in and expressed how much she didn’t appreciate being left out.

“Did you just walk into my lab without permission?” Pidge spoke so calmly she could have quelled a hurricane. All three boys stopped moving in fear of the anger that was about to fall upon them; it was so quiet a pin could have been heard dropping. Pidge sighed at the obvious reaction and nearly burst out laughing as Shiro and Keith jumped in unison. “Who’s the new guy?”

The complete opposite reaction of what they were expecting coming from Pidge caused Lance and Shiro’s brains to momentarily stop working. They were completely braced for getting yelled at, something even Shiro couldn’t escape, so they weren’t prepared to be questioned instead. Before either of the boys’ could organize their thoughts Keith decided to answer instead.

“Keith… Kogane.” Keith stepped forward out of Shiro’s grasp and reached out to take Pidge’s hand, the gesture was foreign and usually unaccepted by the young lady; however, she would make an exception just this once. Pidge took Keith’s hand and squeezed it ever so gently. 

“Nice to meet you Keith, I’m Pidge.” Pidge responded in an upbeat manner as she continued her introduction. “I’m one of the scientists here on the base, and this is my lab.”

Pidge was actually elated to have another person around to discuss scientific topics with, and if both Shiro and Lance liked the guy so much she would probably get along with him just fine. She would have wanted nothing more than to go into a long and detailed explanation of the bases’ operating systems but there was something she needed to confirm first.

“So how do you know Shiro?” Pidge wasn’t one to exactly beat around the bush as she continued to squeeze Keith’s hand in her own and look him dead in the eye.

“I, um, he knew my parents and um, he lived with us for a few years before my camp was… destroyed.” Keith practically folded in on himself as he whispered his words. The room fell silent once more around all too familiar emotions of pain and fear. It wasn’t Pidge’s intention to drudge up someone else’s painful memories as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Keith’s waist. She merely hugged the other boy for a moment, but it was enough to earn a small smile from Keith and a nod of appreciation. Pidge had many more questions for Keith but before she could say anything further a cry suddenly came from Lance. Everyone immediately turned to look at the boy making unnecessary noises.

“I completely forgot! The satellite facilities!!!” Lance jumped forward as if a fire had been lit underneath him before grabbing both Pidge and Keith’s hands. “Keith has been looking for the red fire base!!!”

“Oh? Why?” Pidge was intrigued but a little pissed Lance had forgotten such an important part of his story.

“My parents, before they… before they died they told me to find a building with a red fire symbol on it. Lance told me that base is in this city.” Keith answered Pidge as he turned to direct his statement to Shiro. “I need to go there.”

“And I need to go to the blue water facility!” Lance also turned to Shiro and shouted his plea, completely ignoring the frown etched in Shiro’s brow. “This isn’t a coincidence Shiro!”

“Neither of you even knows why you need to go! The red facility at least has clear routes so I’m sure in a few days we can go and check it out, but honestly that place has been inspected inside and out by the supply units more than once. There is nothing there.” Shiro sighed as he tried to stay neutral and calm in his position.

“But Shiro!” Lance was growing impatient as if a foreign entity was driving him forwards. “I can’t just sit back here and do nothing; I need to go to the blue facility too!”

Just as Shiro was about to explain that Lance would be on cleaning duty for the rest of his eternal life, as well as afterlife, a strange cackling sound echoed through the lab. Everyone fell silent once more as the sound repeated; Pidge began wandering over to a particular pile of machinery to try to pinpoint the source. She figured it had probably been faulty wires or something, and she didn’t want a fire starting by accident. A series of blips directed her to the source of the noise: an old radio. As Pidge reached out to pick up the decrepit apparatus, a voice came over the speaker.

“Hel—re—hello—one—” Minute sounds could be heard as Pidge immediately went to work clearing up the signal. Everyone had quickly moved to gather round the source of the transmission as they silently waited for something to happen.

“Hello… Hello? Helllllllllooooooooooooooo!” Pidge had managed to adjust the transmission of the old radio so the voice on the other side could be heard loud and clear. She had moved on to try to connect the responder unit to answer the voice when she heard a gasp come from behind her.

“No… Fucking… Way…” Lance had paled as his eyes grew larger in his face; it was almost as if he had seen a ghost. Cackling came from the radio once more as Pidge turned her attention back to the repair job; she finally realized the weight behind Lance’s reaction.

“Welp, if someone can hear me that’s cool I’ll just keep talking into this thing for now. So, how are you? I guess I’m okay, a little hungry right now, mostly just exhausted but what else is new…” The voice continued talking about anything and everything as Pidge finally managed to fix the transmission device. She was about to broadcast a response when Lance kneeled down beside her and asked for the device; Pidge nodded her head and handed it over to Lance. She flipped the connection switch and waited for Lance to speak.

“Hunk?” Lance choked out the question.

“Yeah buddy the one and only!” Hunk responded from the other side of the radio as tears freely flowed down Lance’s cheeks. He was about to let loose a plethora of questions when Hunk beat him to it. “I need a pick-up guys.”

“Where are you?” Lance managed to ask the question through crying sobs.

“The coolest place on earth… The Galra surrounded blue water facility of course!” Hunk chuckled through the radio as Lance turned to look at Shiro; it looked like Lance would finally get what he wanted.

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN would you look at that TWIST~~~~
> 
> :)


	6. Route 472

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Well it didn't take me two weeks to finish this chapter hooray! I am quite sick though so I apologize if things don't make sense, I tried I really did *bows*
> 
> This chapter is a bit longer and I really wanted to solidify the important relationships between the characters so I hope I managed to do that! 
> 
> That's all! Enjoy!!!
> 
> \---

Lance refused to move from his spot on the floor in front of the transmission radio; he had long stopped crying from the news of Hunk’s sudden revival as he gazed stone faced at the device that had suddenly stopped working. After Hunk had announced his location at the blue water facility, the conversation suddenly went dead. Lance had thrown himself into a panic before Pidge stepped in and ordered him to back off so she could try to fix the problem. She had explained that the radio was so old she had no clue how it had managed to startle to life in the first place.

“You’re just going to end up breaking it even more Lance! Go stand over there or something.” Pidge ran over to her table to grab some tools and went to work on getting the radio up and running.

Lance did as he was told and wandered over towards where Shiro and Keith had moved in order to give Pidge a bit more space. Neither of them said anything as Lance encroached on them pale as a ghost and absolutely wired.

“Commander-” Lance had started to get his words out but was quickly cut off.

“No.” Shiro stood his ground with arms crossed and gaze steady on the boy falling apart in front of him. He wished with all his heart just saying ‘no’ would have been enough for Lance but of course it never was.

“Hunk is alive! We even know where he is!” Lance began to panic once more as he desperately tried to convince his Commander to let him save his best friend. “All I need is one squad- no not even that, just a few soldiers and I can get him within the day!”

“Lance…” Keith spoke up from his position beside Shiro, his face contorted with concern and empathy. “We can’t just rush into this we need a proper plan.”

Lance began to pace back and forth as he violently rubbed the back of his head with one hand before turning once more to lock eyes with Shiro. He shoved both hands in the pockets of his jacket as his mind raced for a solution. Lance knew that they needed a plan, and a good one, in order to bring Hunk back alive. He even knew that they were severely lacking information on vital variables that meant launching a rescue mission, before gathering all data, was absolute suicide. Lance knew, and yet he didn’t care.

“Shiro I have to go, now, what if he’s under attack, what if the Galra have already broken in? What if…” Lance couldn’t finish his sentence without having to choke back tears. His eyes felt hot and his throat swelled and yet he felt nothing but anger at his own uselessness.

“Why don’t we wait until Pidge fixes the radio and see what else we can find out? Maybe then-” Keith had stepped forward with his hands raised in a non-threatening manner to try to placate Lance before the boy in front of him lunged forward and grabbed the front of Keith’s jacket.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?! You don’t know us, you’re just an outsider!” As soon as the words left his mouth Lance felt the stabbing guilt worm through his stomach as if it were about to explode. Tears fell from his eyes as he suddenly let go of Keith’s jacket sending him off balance and backwards only to be caught by Shiro. Lance stood shaking as he bit his bottom lip to the point of bleeding before diverting his gaze and running from the room.

Shiro sighed as he squeezed Keith’s shoulders before letting him go; he ran a hand through his bangs as he tried to think what to do next. If this was going to work they needed Lance on top of his game; with the present state he was in there was no way Shiro was letting him out of the base. A tug from Shiro’s jacket sleeve told him that Keith had been trying to get his attention while he was deep in thought; he looked down with a sad smile and an apology on the tip of his tongue.

“Don’t apologize.” Keith cut in before Shiro had a chance to say anything. “I know Lance didn’t mean what he said; he’s angry and needed to take it out on someone.”

“You know?” Shiro couldn’t help but sound confused. “You’ve barely known each other a few days how could you know?”

Keith thought about Shiro’s question as if he was just asked for the meaning of life and the universe. It occurred to him that there shouldn’t be any way that Keith would know what Lance was thinking; at least by any means he understood. From the moment they had met there was something that he just couldn’t explain, and no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on fleeting feelings they continued to remain out of his grasp. Keith frowned as he tried to put his emotions into words; there was just something that connected them.

“I have no idea.” It was Keith’s turn to sigh as he shook his head and tried to think. “It’s just… a feeling?”

Shiro wasn’t entirely happy with the response he heard from Keith but he decided it wasn’t the right time to pursue an intense line of questioning. He left Keith’s abstract statement hanging as he turned towards Pidge carefully working away from her spot on the floor. She had completely taken apart the old radio and was in the process of cannibalizing and retrofitting mechanisms from various other objects that surrounded her. Shiro could visible see the level of concentration on Pidge’s face and the last thing he wanted to do was disturb her work.

“Keith, let’s go somewhere else.” Shiro reached over and gently cupped his hand on Keith’s elbow as he lowered his voice. “I want to leave Pidge to work.”

Keith allowed Shiro to guide him to the door and out into the bright hallway. Shiro finally released his grip on Keith’s arm as the two continued to walk in silence. Keith was vaguely wondering where Shiro was leading them both but his mind began to wander off to Lance and the sullen look on his face as he ran from the room earlier. Keith frowned as his chest tightened at the thought of Lance’s turmoil, the emotions of concern stirring from a place where they were once forgotten. Keith shook his head as he gazed up at Shiro; the sight of the man he sought so relentlessly walking beside him was almost surreal as Keith burned his image into his mind. Shiro had noticed Keith staring as he looked towards him and smiled, only to notice a dusting of rose cover Keith’s cheeks as he finally averted his gaze. Shiro slowed his already easy-going pace as they approached a large set of doors.

“Here we go.” Shiro wandered up to the doors without waiting as they automatically opened for the two visitors. Keith followed Shiro tentatively until he realized where they were. “I thought you might be hungry?”

They entered the mess hall and were immediately greeted with stifling silence coming from the soldiers and civilians already partaking in their meals. Shiro didn’t hesitate as he walked with purpose towards the food counter as Keith followed behind him; eyes followed the two as Keith fought the urge to squirm. Shiro handed a tray back to Keith as he picked up his own and walked them over to a table near the far wall. After placing his tray on the table and taking a seat, Keith took a seat across from Shiro and caught the glances from around the room from behind Shiro’s back.

“They’re staring at me.” Keith felt himself shrink as if trying to visibly disappear.

“Not only are you a new face but you come from the outside world.” Shiro smiled softly trying to ease Keith’s worries. “I’m sure they are just captivated by you.”

Keith nearly choked on his food in reaction to Shiro’s comment; he felt heat rush up his face once more and immediately reached for his water to hide his reaction. A subtle twitch of a smile could be seem on Shiro’s lips as he picked up his fork and began to eat; Keith wasn’t completely convinced the comment was entirely innocent. He drew a breath in as his eyes narrowed and leaned forward to address Shiro.

“Am I captivating?” Keith spoke just above a whisper to avoid prying ears but his voice became more sensual sounding than he meant. It was Shiro’s turn to avoid the dark blue-grey eyes of the boy sitting across from him as he tried to think of a response. Thankfully for Shiro, being the Commander of an entire base made him a well sought out person to be interrupted with perfect timing.

“Sir…” A meek voice appeared from beside the table as both Shiro and Keith turned to look at its owner.

“Oh, Dave… What can I help you with?” Shiro addressed the junior officer that usually ran messages and commands around the base for him. He noticed the boy was quite fidgety as his eyes kept darting between the floor, his white knuckled hands, and their newest guest.

“Oh, um, well, um…” Dave continued to stutter and fidget as he tried to get his words out. Keith glanced over at Shiro waiting patiently to allow the boy to speak; apparently this scene was not a new occurrence to Shiro. Keith looked back at the young officer and felt an overwhelming need to help.

“Are you hungry?” Keith spoke up as he awkwardly gestured towards the sustenance on his tray. “They have… Goo?”

Something between a snort and a laugh came from Shiro’s direction as he desperately tried to keep himself quiet. Keith had instantly turned beet red as he realized how dumb he sounded but there was no way he was going to let his embarrassment show publically. Keith shot a look towards Shiro that was meant to be along the lines of ‘Shut up’ but instead Keith’s eyes appeared panicked and slightly crazy, causing Shiro to absolutely lose it.

Even in their wildest dreams no one was prepared to hear the sounds of their Commander laughing without reserve in the mess hall. Keith was absolutely mortified as he buried his face in his hands, willing himself to disappear in a puff of smoke. Shiro finally calmed down as he rubbed tears from his eyes and reached over to grab one of Keith’s wrists, attempting to pull the boy out of his spiraling embarrassment. Keith groaned in response, not wanting anyone to see his face, when he finally relented and put his hands down. His gaze was met by a still smiling Shiro, eyes glimmering with unshed tears. The look of absolute joy on Shiro’s face felt surreal to Keith; as if he happened upon a painting not meant to be viewed by human eyes. Keith couldn’t help but be captivated as he subconsciously reached out a hand and gently laced Shiro’s fingers through his own. Although slightly surprised, Shiro smiled and gave Keith’s hand a squeeze before letting go and turning back to the young junior officer still standing in their presense.

“Dave, this is Keith.” Shiro had returned to his former commanding self with only a hint of laughter still left in his voice. “He came from the outside.”

“Oh, yes, that’s what everyone… Hello.” Dave continued to fidget as his eyes darted between Shiro and Keith, taking a deep breath before continuing. “Nice to meet you.”

“You as well.” Keith responded meekly, not quite used to all of the attention as he realized everyone was still trying to subtly watch what was happening.

“Ahem…” Shiro cleared his throat loudly trying to get back on the topic at hand.

“Oh! Right!” As if a light bulb went off Dave swung back to look at his Commander before finally imparting his news. “It’s about Lieutenant McCain…”

At the sound of Lance’s formal designation Keith could feel his muscles tighten in response. He was worried something had happened to Lance but the feelings that swirled inside of Keith’s head were more than simply fretting over a comrade. Keith frowned and gently shook his head trying to concentrate; all movements that were not lost on Shiro’s ever present gaze.

“What happened?” Shiro pressed further for an answer.

“He was… The Lieutenant was spotted on the main level headed towards the roof. I wasn’t sure if he was supposed to or…” The boy’s sentence drifted off as he scanned Shiro’s face for a reaction, to which he was given none. Shiro turned back to Keith and moved to stand before he felt a hand once again on his own.

“I’ll go.” Keith smiled up at Shiro calmly as he tried to convince him this was a good idea with another squeeze of his hand. Releasing his grip and standing up, Keith looked over at a slightly perplexed Shiro. “You two have a complicated relationship, one that I don’t have with him. It would be easier for Keith to talk with an outsider than his superior.”

Shiro couldn’t help but notice how sad Keith appeared as he spoke and the emotion caused him to swallow the words he was about to say. Truthfully, he didn’t want Keith to leave. Meeting Keith’s eyes Shiro gave a curt nod of approval; head held high and gait steady, Keith followed the junior officer under the steady gaze of a room full of eyes before stepping out into the hallway. As if releasing a collective sigh, the room once again came to life as Shiro finished his meal and returned the two trays to the counter. He followed the same path Keith had just taken, except his finally destination was his office; Shiro hated waiting, but some things were better left in the hands of others.

 

~

 

Keith followed the junior officer down the silent hallways of the base as his mind wandered off to the issue at hand. There were several possibilities he could employ against Lance however, the more Keith thought about Lance’s variety of reactions, the more he realized there was really only one option. Keith couldn’t help but sigh as he continued onwards.

“We’re here…” Dave stopped abruptly and muttered back to Keith. They were standing just outside of the door to the main level. Keith looked over at his escort and gave a curt nod signaling that the boy was free to leave; with a small salute and shy smile Dave ran off back down the hall and out of view. Keith took a deep breath, steeled himself, and walked into the facility’s main level.

Soldiers and routers alike had long since left their work on the main level as they prepared reports, ate, and slept before the night came once more. The entire level was open and spacious, almost appearing like a hangar made of reinforced concrete and rebar. The ceilings were high enough to allow the multiple vehicles easy maneuvering during disembarkment; cranes would descend from the ceiling to retrieve the supplies for each day. Keith wandered through the building carefully checking his surroundings, as the silence that followed him was almost unsettling. He scanned the room looking for Lance and figured he must have been on a different floor. It didn’t take him long to find the staircase leading up to the second floor even by the dim lights that continuously ran in strips along the base of the walls; no windows offered natural light since the fear of structural failure was always an issue.

While Keith spent his time catching up with Shiro earlier he had also wandered over to a map framed on the wall of the room. The map showed a detailed schematic of the base and of course Keith would take full advantage of learning about the layout of his new home. Home. The word had struck a chord within him as he felt his chest tighten and eyes water; Keith had forgotten what it was like to have a home. He couldn’t keep the emotion out of his voice when answering one of Shiro’s many questions, to which Shiro wandered over from leaning against a desk to place a hand on Keith’s shoulder. The sensation of something so tangible, so real, was too much for Keith to bear as he spun around and dove into Shiro’s arms. As if holding on for dear life, Keith cried for what felt like eternity in Shiro’s protective arms.

Armed with the knowledge that the second floor housed tactical equipment and up-to-date reports gathered each day, Keith figured that Lance would want to make an information pit-stop before attempting to leave the base. Sure enough, as Keith stepped onto the second floor landing a light could be seen coming from underneath the closed door. Keith would have to take a risk but in that moment he decided it was worth it. He unbelted his sword from its place at his side, leaned the weapon up against the wall, and reached out to open the door before finally stepping inside.

“Keith?” Lance looked up in suspicion as he heard someone enter through the door; he quickly relaxed and went back to what he was doing. “What? Did Shiro send you?”

Keith didn’t answer as he marched down the aisle of desks with a sense of purpose. He scanned his surroundings quickly but carefully, before finally feeling ready to commit to his actions. Lance still hadn’t looked at him as he drew closer and closer, the thought of being ignored as a non-threat was almost as annoying as being yelled at. Within the final few feet Lance finally looked up with a questioning gaze in which Keith swiftly punched off his face.

“Kei--- Keith what the hell!?” Lance spun around from the impact as he raised a hand to inspect the damage, the hit had been light in comparison to what Keith was capable of but it stung nonetheless. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Keith lunged forward and caught Lance with a knee to the stomach as the other boy fell to the floor. He backed off and let Lance cough his way into a standing position. 

Lance was still in complete shock from the attack his mind refused to work properly. Questions raced around inside his head like litter in a strong breeze but try as he might he couldn’t concentrate on actually verbalizing any of them. The anger and frustration of being punched, ignored, talked down to and everything else he had experienced was nearly too much to bear. The only thing that would emerge was white static, and with that he answered Keith.

Lance lunged forward at such a speed he knocked Keith clear off his feet; if the other boy hadn’t been prepared for such he would have had the wind knocked out of him. Keith fell to the floor with Lance pinning him down, screaming in a rage of fists and elbows trying to put Keith down for good. The pure anger and rage that flowed off Lance was what Keith had wanted; to send Lance over the edge and give him a target to take out his frustrations on. He easily dodged punch after punch, blocking with his arms and just allowing Lance to continue until he was done. After only a few moments the barrage finally stopped and Keith gazed warily out from behind his guarding forearms. Still straddling Keith, Lance had lowered his hands to support himself off Keith’s chest, as his breaths came in ragged wet stretches. Keith didn’t dare to move until he heard the first sobs coming from the boy on top of him, to which he finally responded.

“It’s okay.” Keith spoke the truth; it really was going to be okay. As if finally given permission Lance broke down his walls as tears flowed freely down his face; he couldn’t help but curl in on himself and bury his face into Keith’s chest. Opening his arms Keith held one hand firmly on Lance’s back while the other brushed softly through his hair; a gesture from the memory of his late mother that he always cherished. Keith closed his eyes and released a sigh before he finally continued. “I’m here for you.”

 

~

 

For once in her life Pidge had wished there was someone else in her lab to keep her company. For as long as she could remember she had always been left to her own devices. She had only been a year old when the biological attack destroyed humanity fifteen years ago; death, destruction and fear were all that she had ever known. Her brother Matt had been left in charge of her care, but his duties often took him away for so long she could only stop herself from spending all her time wishing for his safe return. Pidge heard stories of her father, his part in the development and construction of the survivor’s base as well as his superior intellect, but Pidge never had a chance to meet him. The secure base seemed to be a testament of the love for his daughter; as well as a cage for her safety. Pidge grew up in the base, secure from the outside world as she waited. Survivors slowly trickled into the city and into the mysterious base as she remained a separate entity from the others; that all changed when she met them.

Vague memories seemingly haunted Pidge’s dreams as she struggled to sleep through the lonely nights. Shiro had always been a constant presense around the base, spending his time working with Matt gathering survivors and sending them to the base. Pidge had just turned eight when Shiro had knocked on her door with a surprise; walking into her lab was two dirt covered boys Pidge wasn’t sure were even human. She remembered clearing her throat as she hadn’t used her voice in days while she listened to Shiro’s introductions. One of the boys, Lance, was a scrawny boy of around 12 that shifted his eyes around the room as if an attack was eminent. She watched the panic flow off him in waves as she scrunched her nose in distaste for such human emotions. 

As Shiro prattled on Pidge cast her gaze on the other boy as her eyes went wide in surprise. Appearing as an immovable boulder the second boy’s eyes never wavered from her own. Introduced as Hunk, Lance’s blood-brother older than him by a year, a bright smile formed on his face as he strode towards Pidge. She could remember standing in shock as the boy picked her up in his embrace; muscles tense and blood rushing through her veins as fear of the unknown coursed through her being. She was being hugged. The warmth of strong arms embracing her felt so surreal, so perfectly right, as Pidge relaxed into being held by her new brother.

Eight years with her new brothers fighting, supporting and annoying her each and every day. Pidge had finally known the family she so desperately needed as the worst had finally happened. On a day like any other she received news of the fall of a sister city; the city her brother Matt, as well as Shiro, worked so hard to save. Countless lives were lost as she was informed only one person had survived. Shiro was found, bloody and missing his right arm, wandering back into the city of Altea. No one knew how he had journeyed so far in such a state as he was brought to the base to be saved. Upon seeing his form Lance had thrown a tantrum, swearing to the heavens about revenge that both Pidge and Hunk ignored. She felt numb from the news her brother’s death as she tried to acknowledge Shiro lying broken and weak in front of her: she wouldn’t accept it. Against orders from the medics Pidge retrofitted a bionic arm for Shiro; the catch was that he needed to be lucid as it was attached. Shiro gave his consent before Pidge spent three agonizing days manually connecting bone to metal, muscle to mechanisms, and nerves to wires as Shiro screamed. The ordeal was nearly too much for Shiro to take as his mind attempted to protect itself. Portions of his memory were lost, such as how he received the arm in the first place, but other sections were retained with complete clarity. Shiro remembered losing Matt and Arus, being sworn to promise to protect and care for Pidge, and his new role as base Commander. But the comradery, the feelings and emotions of family Pidge once knew between Lance, Hunk, Shiro and her, were gone forever.

Tears fell down Pidge’s cheeks as intrusive thoughts ran through her mind before the bastardized ruins of the radio and transmission system spread in front of her sputtered to life. She had barely remembered fixing it as she recalled the overwhelming feelings of purely needing the voice of her most supportive brother once more. Crackling came through the static filled air as her wishes were finally granted.

“Hunk? A-are you there?” Pidge stuttered into the transmission device she now held in her hand.

“That you Pidge?” A voice came over the system as Pidge fiddled with knobs to clear up the signal. “I can hear you loud and clear!”

Hunk’s husky warm voice echoed through Pidge’s lab as if he were standing right beside her. She wanted nothing more than to be able to spontaneously invent a teleportation device.

“I can hear you Hunk I can hear you!” Feelings of relief flooded Pidge’s voice as she laughed across the radio.

“Oh happy days I’m so glad it’s working again!” Hunk sighed and then chuckled in response. “I wasn’t really worried though, my little sister is a genius after all.”

There were so many things Pidge wanted to say to Hunk and yet her voice would not come. She willed herself to speak, to open up and scream to the ends of the earth and back but no matter how hard she tried it was useless. Feelings of long lost emotions filled her completely like a cup about to overflow; the sensations clawing her from the inside-out. She fought against the feelings trying to drown her before Hunk’s soothing voice came across the radio once more.

“It’s alright Pidge. Everything will be alright.” As if Hunk’s words were a remedy to any ailment Pidge instantly felt lighter. After remembering how to breathe she pulled in great gulping breathes before finally being able to calm herself down.

“Sorry, Hunk…” Pidge spoke softly but didn’t know exactly what to say.

“No worries little sister! We’ll be seeing each other real soon!” Hunk’s gentle laughter seemed to flow effortlessly across the radio as Pidge committed each sound to memory. She couldn’t help but smile as it finally sunk in; Hunk was alive.

After what seemed like hours Hunk had explained the entire situation to Pidge. How he had narrowly escaped the Galra, found the blue water facility and managed to enter without dying. Pidge listened intently as Hunk spoke, not once stopping him to clarify. There was something amiss with his story, slight details that were so minor she didn’t dare trying to pull at them for fear of the world unravelling. Hunk seemed nervous but excited during his explanation so Pidge didn’t particularly feel the need to question his motive. Once she gleaned as much information from him as possible they needed to move onto the next step.

“I think I have a pretty good idea now Hunk.” Pidge spoke confidently into the radio as she scratched notes onto a loose piece of paper. “Now for the hard part.”

“Getting Shiro’s approval…” Hunk sighed through the radio and Pidge smirked at the thought of him rubbing the spot between his eyebrows as he tried to formulate a plan. One of the reasons they worked so well together was simply for the fact that they complimented each other perfectly; Pidge could practically see through any machine once and know how it worked, but Hunk knew how to see beyond metal and mechanisms to the human touch left behind. He always seemed to have a knack for reading people. “Where is Shiro now?”

“He took Keith somewhere after Lance exploded… Probably to get food.” Pidge paused and rubbed the back of her neck in thought. “Depending on what happened after that he’s probably in his office.”

“Wait, who is Keith?” Hunk was still trying to formulate a plan when the sound of an unknown name seemed to resonate deep within him. “Why does that feel familiar?”

“I know right?!” Pidge nearly jumped out of her skin in reaction before she could stop herself. “I’m not crazy?!”

“Well I wouldn’t go that far…” Hunk teased lightheartedly as he chuckled through the radio. 

“Hey! Shut up!” Pidge laughed in response. “I can’t help but be excited what with you coming back from the dead and Lance bringing home a new friend.”

Pidge explained Lance’s encounter with the wandering swordsman as briefly as she could while not skipping details. By the time she had gotten to the part about Keith looking for the red fire facility Hunk had abruptly interrupted her.

“The red fire…” Hunk spoke out loud as Pidge quieted to listen. “I understand now.”

Before Pidge could question such an odd statement a sputtering hiss came across the radio that sent pangs of fear streaking through Pidge’s being. Something was disrupting the transmission.

“Hunk! Can you hear me!” Pidge panicked and yelled into the radio.

“Ow, yeah I can still hear you.” Hunk’s garbled voice responded. “I’m logging out for now so it’s up to you to go talk to Shiro and figure this out! I believe in you Pidge!”

Before Pidge could formulate a response the connection became static and Hunk was gone once again. This time it hadn’t felt definite as she physically collected herself up off the floor and put her mind to work. Hunk was waiting to be rescued and Pidge was damn well sure it was going to happen. She walked over to her work bench and slipped on her discarded and normally forgotten shoes before heading for the door; it was time to see Shiro.

 

~ 

 

Lance hadn’t meant to fall asleep on top of Keith; as if drifting through a calm, warm sea the sensations of safety quickly took his consciousness as he slipped into a blissful sleep. Colours swirled through his mind as he tried to focus and make sense of the patterns being drawn just beyond his subconscious. Lance tried to reach out and connect with disembodied answers as he willed his mind to try to make the connection; what did it all mean? Before he could make any sense of what was happening the colourful lights began to pull away as he felt the physical pressure of his consciousness beginning to awaken. Slowly blinking into the soft glow of the dimly lit room, Lance lifted his head to look around only to immediately catch the cautious gaze of all knowing eyes.

“You awake?” Keith spoke softly as he shifted his weight underneath Lance, trying to massage the stiffness out of his back. “You were talking in your sleep.”

Lance was immediately awake. He shot up like a bullet as his face lit up like a beacon in the night that made him nearly faint; he couldn’t believe that he fell asleep on top of Keith. Lance quickly scrambled off the other boy as he sat still on the floor attempting to gather his thoughts. No matter how hard he thought Lance had no idea what to say.

“It’s okay… really.” Keith sat up slowly as he crossed his legs and began to stretch out his arms and shoulders from side to side. “I’m not mad.”

It took Lance a moment to realize that Keith was talking about the fight. Another shot of red flushed through Lance’s cheeks as his eyes darted away from Keith’s face in embarrassment. He breathed in deeply and forced himself to meet Keith’s gaze before finally speaking. 

“I’m sorry Keith I…” Lance couldn’t quite find the right words to express himself as he searched Keith’s face for any sign of anger or frustration. Instead, Keith sighed and rubbed the back of his head before picking himself up off the floor.

“Okay that’s it now!” Keith reached a hand down to Lance and signaled the other boy to stand. “Time to move on.”

Without another word Lance took Keith’s hand and allowed himself to be pulled into a standing position; he locked eyes with Keith and knew in that moment there were no hard feelings in the least. Lance sighed as he gently squeezed Keith’s hand in a silent gesture of gratitude.

“Come on.” Before Lance could let go Keith tugged at his hand and drew him quickly towards the door. “We’re going up!”

The two strode through the second floor door as Lance watched Keith bend down to retrieve his sword and secure it at his side once more. Keith headed back towards the staircase and began climbing upwards before Lance even had a chance to ask why. He silently followed Keith up the stairs and as they reached the door that opened onto the roof, Lance finally spoke.

“Keith, it’s probably day time by now.” Lance patted down his pockets looking for a watch but he rarely carried one when he wasn’t in the field. “The sun is up.”

“So?” Keith turned back with a look of question on his face.

“So… We haven’t been inoculated for day travel we’ll get…” Lance hesitated in his words as he stared at Keith. “Why aren’t you sick?”

Keith turned back to face the door and rolled Lance’s words around in his head. He tried to organize his thoughts carefully before he proceeded.

“My parents told me I was special,” Keith spoke carefully as he continued to face the door. “But you know Lance… Aren’t you the same?”

“What do you mean?” Lance couldn’t help keep the suspicion out of his voice.

“We were out in the city for over a day and nothing happened.” Keith looked back at Lance as he slowly opened the door. “You didn’t get sick.”

“Well, I guess I wasn’t out long enough…” Lance hesitated at his own words as he thought back to all the times he had stayed out too long or snuck up to the roof to watch the city for only a few moments. He thought he was cheating the system as he quickly realized he never felt the sickness associated with the fallout. What else could it be?

Keith was through the door and wandering over to the spot Lance usually occupied. The air seemed thick and musty as a sickly yellow haze hovered closer to the ground than he would have liked. Lance watched as Keith leaned forward, supporting himself on the buildings’ ledge as he bent a knee in habit and gazed out over the city. It didn’t take Lance long to join Keith at his side, barely looking out over the familiar scenery awash with daytime glow as his eyes kept darting over to the boy standing beside him.

“What do you see?” Keith asked so softly Lance had barely heard. He almost felt a pang of guilt for not actually paying attention.

“A ruined city…” Lance sighed and shook his head, what the hell else was there supposed to be?

“Lance.” Keith turned and leaned his back against the wall as he reached out and placed a hand gently on Lance’s forearm. Keith locked his gaze with Lance once more and it was as if a thousand words flowed between them in an instant. Keith smiled and in the glowing haze of an irradiated city backdrop, Lance could only see the most beautiful creature in existence. 

“Maybe I am sick…” Lance muttered to himself as he turned to look back over the city. 

Lance quickly caught sight of Galra movement and he never figured it would be possible for the grotesque creatures to appear even more repulsive than they already were. He frowned subconsciously at the creatures that constantly thwarted his plans to get to the blue water facility. A whisper of a thought passed through Lance’s mind as he looked over at Keith once more.

“You said that you can move around during the day and the night, did you notice any differences in Galra movement?” Lance’s mind was racing as he tried to form coherent sentences.

“Not really a difference in movement, but it’s obviously easier to see when it’s light out…” Keith thought of his years fighting alone and couldn’t help but squeeze his hand still lightly touching Lance’s arm. The gesture was meant as comfort for Keith but Lance took it as affirmation of his racing thoughts.

“Keith… I think I have a plan.” Lance launched himself into Keith’s arms pulling the other boy into a tight embrace. “This is going to work!”

 

\---

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave comments and/or kudos!!!! I LIVE OFF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT!!!!!!!!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!!!


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